PHILADELPHIA—A breakthrough has been reached in settlement talks on the controversial $6.4-billion expansion plan at Philadelphia International Airport.
The tentative accord between the City of Philadelphia, Delaware County, Tinicum Township and the Interboro School District announced on Monday allows the city to move forward on the plan, which has been delayed for eight years, without having to acquire 72 Tinicum Township homes and relocate approximately 300 Tinicum residents.
If the Federal Aviation Administration approves the plan, the city, which owns and operates the airport, will be able to fully implement the Capacity Enhancement Program, which was approved years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration. Under the proposed plan, the airport will expand using large undeveloped parcels of land, leaving the existing neighborhood east of 4th Avenue intact.
“Philadelphia is one of America's premier cities, and as such we need a premier airport,” says Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “Today, I am proud to witness this historic announcement today, which will expand the airport and lead to the growth of our regional economy, more jobs and more economic opportunities for residents and businesses. The competitiveness of our region and the entire state is tied to the success of PHL—and by extension, its expansion.”
“This agreement maintains the quality of life for the airport's neighbors and will mean jobs for Delaware County residents,” says Tom McGarrigle, chairman of Delaware County Council. “It means thousands of direct construction jobs for our region. It means more jobs associated with the airport and its operations. And it will mean expanded access to overseas markets and more opportunities for Delaware County businesses, which is good for the economic growth of our county as a whole.”
The settlement, if finalized and approved by the FAA, would settle years of litigation and would restart payments to Delaware County airport stakeholders, which have been frozen since 2007.
The multi-billion dollar expansion program is expected to be completed in phases over 12 years to 15 years. The program will be funded through airport revenue bonds, passenger facility charges, federal Airport Improvement Program grants, and other airport revenues. No local tax dollars will be used to fund the improvements.
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