Two locations in Pierce County and one in Thurston County were recently recommended by the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission as being feasible “greenfields” for a new commercial airport, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The commission is aiming to create a new airport and airfield by 2040 as the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is expected to exceed its capacity by 2050.
“Demand for take-offs and landings in the region is projected to double by 2050 from over 400,000 to over 800,000 per year,” the Puget Sound Regional Council website states. “This is expected to result in a regional gap in service by 2050 that is roughly equivalent to all the passengers served at Sea-Tac in 2019.”
The construction plans call for a location that would support two runways on around 3,100 acres, according to an August site selection study by state consultant Kimley-Horn. The plans include an 11,000-foot long primary runway, which would be capable of handling commercial passengers and cargo aircraft.
The three different locations selected are called “Pierce County East,” “Pierce County Central” and “Thurston County Central.”
Pierce County East is a designation for a six-mile radius south of Graham near state Route 161. Pierce County Central includes a six-mile radius south of South Creek in Roy where state Route 702 and state Route 7 converge, while Thurston County Central is a six-mile radius southeast of East Olympia.
“It’s also important for everyone to understand that additional analysis is going to be necessary on any site recommended,” commission Chair David Fleckenstein said during a virtual meeting. “It does not mean a new airport will be located on one of those sites, as they all have their unique challenges that have to be thought about and addressed.”
The possibility that a major airport could be built in Pierce County has worried state and county representatives, who raised their concerns about issues construction would cause. These concerns were raised in the commission’s report, and included needed infrastructure upgrades, noise, impacts to the environment and disruptions to the rural character of the proposed site land.
A joint letter was written and signed this week by the Pierce County Council and executive Bruce Dammeier. The letter expressed their “strong objection” to the two airports under consideration in Pierce County. The council asked the commission to remove the sites from consideration and argued that both locations would be cost prohibitive.
“Both greenfield sites are in the rural area, approximately five miles outside Pierce County’s Urban Growth Area, and do not have the infrastructure capable of supporting an airport,” a section of the letter read. “The transportation, sewer, and water infrastructure necessary to support the contemplated airport simply does not exist and there are no plans to provide this infrastructure in the future.”
The commission is expected to narrow down its decision to one location by summer of 2023.
Thurston County commissioner Tye Menser and his challenger in the general election, Vivian Eason, each voiced their opposition to the proposed airports during a “meet the candidates” town hall session in Yelm on Monday, Oct. 10.
To learn more about the airport project, go online to www.psrc.org/our-work/regional-aviation-baseline-study.
