ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The U.S. Air Force is planning a $150 million project to extend the runway at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, aiming to reduce airspace congestion and ease jet noise over neighborhoods.

The Anchorage Daily News reports the Air Force intends to extend the north-south runway by 2,500 feet (762 meters) to the north, making that strip the main arrival runway.

The base’s current main arrival is the east-west runway with its approach passing through crowded Anchorage airspace.

According to the environmental analysis, the project will involve moving large amounts of earth and disturbing about 28 acres (11 hectares) of wetlands.

Keisha K. Lafayette, an Air Force public affairs specialist, says officials will work with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency to mitigate the loss of wetlands.

Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com

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