BOSTON — Three construction and engineering firms will collectively pay $1.37 million to resolve allegations they submitted or caused the submission of false claims for the rehabilitation of Runway 2-20 at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport — a project that led to damage and temporarily displaced a Massachusetts Air National Guard unit.
According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts made on June 27, 2025, Eurovia Atlantic Coast, LLC (doing business as Northeast Paving), The Lane Construction Corporation, and Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. each admitted and accepted responsibility for the conduct leading to the civil settlement.
The runway, used by the 104th Fighter Wing — a combat-ready unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard — began cracking in 2019, just six years after its rehabilitation. Investigators found that the cracking occurred where the concrete center of the runway met the surrounding asphalt, a failure attributed to the absence of a required construction feature known as a “track” that was called for in the original plans.
Although Lane and Stantec had certified that the project met contract specifications, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said the track was never built. As a result, the City of Westfield and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation had to undertake additional repairs, during which the 104th Fighter Wing was forced to relocate.
“Federal contractors must fulfill their obligations and perform the work they promise to provide, especially where their work impacts the safety of our military,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We will continue to hold contractors to their commitments to ensure that federal agencies and taxpayers get what they paid for.”
The settlement resolves claims involving violations of the False Claims Act. The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Morgan of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit, with support from the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Department of Defense’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS).
“The defendants cut corners and misrepresented their work, wasting taxpayer dollars,” said Brian C. Gallagher, special agent in charge of the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General. “This settlement reflects our commitment and ongoing collaboration with law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to hold contractors accountable for failing to meet contract performance and quality standards.”
The rehabilitation of Runway 2-20 was funded through a combination of federal, state, and local sources, including the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Defense.
