Sea-Tac's third runway makes way for more airport spats

TEST landings on the new third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport clear the way for the formal opening in November of the much-discussed, long-delayed way to quickly land planes in nasty weather.

This controversial option to siting a new regional airport will increase the efficiency of a valued transportation hub. Sea-Tac is closely linked to jobs, tourism and easy movement of people.

Times reporter Sara Jean Green was out last week watching tests for final certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. Those are the finishing touches on a hotly contested idea that goes back more than two decades.

Everything about the third runway took more time and money and lawsuits than anyone imagined, and still it was easier than finding a home for another major airport. Governments and citizen panels looked from Arlington to Redmond to south of Tacoma, and communities panicked.

Air carriers liked where they were, and federal airline-deregulation legislation said they could not be forced to move to, say, Paine Field at Everett. The movement of people and freight was not divisible either.

The economics of the airlines and the economy in general will ebb and flow, but the population of this region continues to grow. And the weather is an acquired taste most of the year. Getting planes on the ground faster at Sea-Tac extends the useful life of a popular destination and departure point. Sea-Tac is also the airport for passengers and cargo coming from or headed east of the Cascades.

The third runway cost $1 billion. Epic legal battles were fought over noise, proximity to homes, relocation costs and environmental considerations. Millions were spent to insulate schools and make them habitable for students. The Port of Seattle's contracting procedures have raised eyebrows. All the while the clock was running.

The third runway and all of its expense and impositions are the cost of living in a desirable location that is growing, attracting visitors and doing business with the world. The third runway will be a work in progress. Making it a good neighbor might be impossible, but a tolerable presence ought to be achievable.

Before anyone knows it, the third runway squabbles will be forgotten in the fight over another airport.