State commission plans to recommend new airport site by June 15

OLYMPIA, Wash. — The controversy over a new Puget Sound airport is about to get much more heated.

On Monday, state lawmakers returned to work and are anticipated to get an earful within the months forward concerning the concept of constructing a brand new airport concerning the dimension of Sea-Tac Airport.

A state fee is because of suggest a single web site for a brand new airport by June 15.

Final yr, commissioners narrowed the listing to 2 websites in Pierce County and one in Thurston County.

Individually, state transportation officers are finding out a fourth web site close to Enumclaw.

Amongst neighbors of the websites, opposition seems unanimous.

“These are stunning rural areas that shouldn’t be destroyed by a mega airport,” Daybreak Sonntag of Cease the Thurston Airport advised KIRO 7 final fall.

To this point, the one native authorities officers advocating for a significant airport enlargement are in Yakima.

Some lawmakers say the choice course of that excluded King County and current navy bases doesn’t make sense.

“We have to begin over,” stated State Sen. John Braun (R-Minority Chief). “If it’s going to take us 10, 20, 30 years to construct this out, we want to ensure we get the primary two years proper.”

In a presentation to legislators on Monday, members of the fee supplied a ballpark price determine of a two-runway, 3,100-acre airport at $13.8 billion in 2023 pricing, which may very well be practically $25 billion in 2043.

Advocates of a brand new airport level to the restricted house accessible to develop Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport as a motive why a separate airport is critical.

Previous to the pandemic, SEA was commonly setting new data for passenger volumes.

The airport has a footprint of two,500 acres.

By comparability, San Francisco Worldwide Airport and John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport in New York every have footprints of roughly 4,900 acres.

The restricted footprint at Sea-Tac impacts de-icing operations as a result of there’s not a lot room to do the work.

Final month, Alaska Airways proactively canceled flights with snow within the forecast.

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