Estimated Costs Of Runway Going Up Adding Third Landing Strip At Sea-Tac Expected To Cost $587 Million

Thu., Feb. 27, 1997

Associated Press

Planes won’t be using the planned third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for at least seven years, but projected costs for the project are already taking off.

The latest figures project a cost of $587 million, an increase of about $132 million - almost 30 percent - over last summer’s $455 million estimate. The project is scheduled for completion in 2004.

The new estimate and an outline of a runway financing plan were presented Tuesday to the Seattle Port Commission.

Inflation and an extended construction schedule are driving up estimated costs, said Michael Feldman, who heads the runway project at the airport.

Also, the new estimate factors in $32 million in sales tax for the first time, Feldman said. Planners also expect to set aside $15 million as a construction-cost contingency fund.

The port, which would borrow almost $471 million to pay for the runway, is hoping for substantial help from the federal government.

The higher price tag didn’t bother port commissioners.

The construction contingency fund represents the only added cost that is not inflation or sales tax, said Paige Miller, the commission president.

The estimate “is absolutely within our financial wherewithal,” she said.

When the third runway was being debated last summer, the project was expected to cost $405 million plus $50 million for repairing environmental damage.

Opponents have criticized the project as being too costly.

“It doesn’t sound like a financial plan. It sounds like a financial wish list,” said Ken Reid, director of the Airport Communities Coalition, which represents several local governments opposed to the third runway. “Costs are underestimated. The revenues are optimistic.”

The financing plan also takes into account the extension of the construction schedule from five years to seven, which allows the port to divert money to and speed up other parts of a $1 billion improvement plan for the airport. Widening access ramps to the terminals and adding a wing to the parking garage will help accommodate increased airport traffic, Feldman said.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.