Cities to press Port of Seattle on daily use of third runway

A group of cities that spent years suing the Port of Seattle over construction of the third runway wants Seattle-Tacoma International Airport officials to explain why the runway is being used for more flights than promised.

Bob Sheckler, co-chairman of the Highline Forum, has called a public meeting between officials with the Port and surrounding cities for Thursday. "If we don't like the answers, then we are going to aggressively go after the Port for additional mitigation," he said.

For years, Port officials said the airport needed a third runway to reduce delays in bad weather with low visibility.

Since it opened Nov. 20, however, the runway has been used every day. Port officials now say it will be used 365 days a year, in poor or good weather during peak traffic periods.

"I'm livid over the whole thing," Sheckler said. "For the 10 years I've been associated with the [Airport Communities Coalition], I have been assured over and over and over again of the use of this third runway."

In earlier environmental-impact studies, the Port had projected landing 28 percent of the airport's flights on the third runway by 2010. Since it opened, 41 percent of arrivals have landed on the runway, according to the Port.

Perry Cooper, spokesman for the Port, said arrivals on the third runway are seasonally high because of the weather and may average out lower over 12 months.

"This time of year is a time of year when we have lower visibility," he said. "If this was June, July, August, our percentages would probably be a lot lower."

Cooper said that while the weather might appear clear from the ground, that may not be the case for planes landing.

"We might look outside and go, 'Wow, this is a great day for us.' But when you're looking about how to operate an airport and landings for instruments — doesn't mean it's a good day from that standpoint."

Sheckler headed the Airport Communities Coalition, which filed more than 20 lawsuits against the Port between the mid-1990s and 2004 because of environmental concerns. The Highline Forum, which represents Des Moines, SeaTac, Tukwila, Federal Way, Normandy Park and the Highline School District, came together after the suits ended to act as a monitoring organization.

Sheckler said if the runway is being used more than promised, the Port should do a new environmental-impact study.

"Determining which homes and schools would be mitigated for soundproofing was based on flight patterns with assurance that only a trickle of planes would be coming off the third runway," he said. "This now tells us that the [environmental-impact study] is not valid and it should be extended to include all the people that will be adversely affected by the third runway."

Based on earlier studies, the Port installed sound insulation, such as new windows and doors, in 87 homes northwest of the airport. The Port also worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to purchase 59 homes and relocate the residents.

Still, numerous residents around the airport have complained about constant, intense noise from planes landing on the third runway since it opened. Next year, even more planes will land on the new runway when the Port shuts down the easternmost runway for reconstruction.

The Port plans to conduct a follow-up environmental study at the end of 2009, which will take two years to complete.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com