Cl300
It's all about $$. The FAA started requiring airports to have runway areas and if there wasn't enough room then EMAS was an option.
EMAS are great when there is not any runway safety areas (RSAs) The RSA is typically 500 feet wide and extends 1,000 feet beyond each end of the runway. Bedford meets the RSA standards. It provides a graded area in the event that an aircraft overruns, undershoots, or veers off the side of the runway. Many airports were built before the current 1,000-foot RSA standard was adopted approximately 20 years ago. They would have most likely gone through the EMAS too.
Something strange happened to this flight for sure.