After 20 years of discussion, it's time to start building

Anyone who has flown internationally to such airports as Shanghai or Amsterdam or in this country to the rebuilt Detroit Airport has noticed new airports that were clearly built to handle air traffic for decades to come. These are global centers of trade and business activity. Although 9/11 and SARS have affected global travel, these airports are built to handle long-term increases in demand. And they were built in a fraction of the time that we've been debating one runway at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

It's time we moved forward to build the third runway. It is essential for the economy of our state and region.

Building and maintaining this world-class airport allows our region to remain competitive for business and provides an efficient and convenient airport for citizens. It is crucial for both tourism and international trade. Washington is equidistant between Asian and European markets, and Sea-Tac is a critical gateway, helping to move the state's $35 billion in annual exports. Agricultural products such as cherries and apricots, as well as livestock from central Washington, all move through Sea-Tac. Tourism is an $11 billion industry in our state and employs more than 157,000 people. Sea-Tac is an essential piece of transportation infrastructure for all of us and is a key to Washington's economic vitality.

After 16 years of regulatory review, hundreds of open, public meetings and millions of dollars spent on environmental studies, the time has come to move ahead and complete Sea-Tac's "all-weather" third runway.

You only have to recall the recent news coverage about airport delays and long lines at the security gates to know how important it is to our entire state that Sea-Tac is functioning, efficient and up-to-date.

The chairman of Alaska Airlines, Bill Ayer, has said the third runway is essential for the airline's business to grow, and for the region to get business customers in and out of the area. Sea-Tac was built to handle 25 million passengers. It currently is handling more than 26 million, and growth will continue. The airport is in the middle of a major renovation to accommodate this growth, and traveling through Sea-Tac will be a much more pleasant experience. A new south terminal will be completed next year and a new central terminal the following year. Those terminal upgrades are important to move people efficiently, but the real issue is getting airplanes in and out of Sea-Tac safely and quickly.

Opponents maintain that flight delays at Sea-Tac are among the lowest of any airport in the nation. Their comment is based on a study the Federal Aviation Administration uses to determine staffing levels at its towers. It does not take into consideration flights that are delayed on the ground while they wait for the weather to clear at Sea-Tac. If you've ever had to wait at another airport to take off for Sea-Tac, you know what this means. The weather can complicate takeoffs and landings. When there are low clouds, only one runway can be used for arrivals. That slows traffic and causes delays. Those delays will cost airlines an estimated $25 million this year in added fuel, crew wages and other expenses. By 2008 this number is estimated to grow to as much as $93 million due to increasing air traffic.

The third runway has been discussed as an answer to airport expansion since the mid-'80s. Ten years ago, the Puget Sound Regional Council selected the runway as the solution of choice to the region's air-capacity needs at the culmination of a long and open public process. Numerous options were studied, including building another airport in Eastern Washington and linking it to Sea-Tac with a bullet train. The third runway was approved by the FAA and has received the necessary permits from the state Department of Ecology and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Environmental protection is major focus of the runway plan. The mitigation will allow the port to undo many years of urban impacts on the streams and wetlands west of the airport.

When the surrounding area was built up, planners didn't recognize they were putting streets, houses, septic systems and home heating oil tanks in wetlands. The port is removing those tanks and streets and will restore the area to "pre-development" condition -- those that existed in the '30s, before any of the urban impacts.

The port will restore buffers around creeks and return native plants to the creek sides. Fish of all species will have a better chance of spawning in those creeks than they've had for the past 50 years.

All fill for the runway must meet the same high standards applied to residential areas, public parks and school playgrounds. There will be no contaminated soil or containments leaching into groundwater. The test to be used to determine levels of soil contamination was developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It is the gold standard test used in Washington and about 20 other states.

The retaining wall for the runway has been designed to meet the same stringent design requirements as other highways, buildings and structures.

Current estimates are that if the port proceeds without further delay, the first airplanes will be landing on the new runway early in 2008 -- more than 20 years after the project was first discussed.

Our state has to do better than that. We compete in a world in which cities build entire airports in less time than it takes us to get permits to build a single runway.

In this state and region, we are absolutely committed to holding our projects to the highest possible environmental standards. We need to give all sides an equal opportunity to share their views. Communities that agree to house essential public infrastructure must be fairly compensated and the projects fully mitigated.

But then it is time to move on. After all these years of public process, it is clear that a large majority of citizens in the region support the continuing modernization of Sea-Tac, including construction of the third runway.

We cannot allow this region to become so mired in process that nothing can be built. We are moving dangerously close to that and could end up jeopardizing the ability to provide good jobs, a strong economy and a high quality of life for the next generation.

The need is clear, the studies are complete and the permits are in place. As a region, we have the pieces in place to make a good airport even better. Let's get started.

Martha Choe is Washington state director of trade and economic development. M.R. Dinsmore is chief executive officer of the Port of Seattle.

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