County executive joins calls to remove Tacoma Narrows Airport from expansion list
Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier joined the Gig Harbor City Council this week in asking a state aviation commission to remove the Tacoma Narrows Airport from a list of regional airports being considered for expansion of commercial passenger service.
Dammeier and Council Member Derek Young made the request in a letter to the David Fleckenstein, director of aviation for the the Washington State Department of Transportation.
“As the owner of the Tacoma Narrows Airport, Pierce County requests that TNA be removed from the analysis considering airports which could provide significant commercial service,” Dammeier said in a Dec. 17 letter shared with The Gateway. “Pierce County is not supportive, nor will we take steps, to expand the airport runway to accommodate either large commercial air service or air cargo operations.”
Fleckenstein is chairperson of the state Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission, a group of elected officials and aviation experts created by the state Legislature to plan for aviation needs that are expected to double or triple by 2050 — an estimated 25 to 27 million takeoffs, the equivalent of another Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which is already at capacity.
The commission has compiled a list of regional airports that meet the basic criteria for expansion. The list includes Tacoma Narrows, along with airports in Arlington, Bremerton, Shelton and Toledo.
However, Fleckenstein told the Gig Harbor City Council in November, it is highly unlikely Tacoma Narrows would be favored, as it has too many problems — among them a short runway, potential for traffic congestion and a lack of interest from airlines.
Council still worried
The council has remained alarmed, however, and on Dec. 14 Mayor Kit Kuhn sent a letter the county council asking for them to intercede.
“To bolster Gig Harbor’s opposition and to support our community, the council and I are requesting that the Pierce County executive and council take formal action to express your opposition to the Tacoma Narrows Airport (TNA) being considered as a new primary airport,” Kuhn said in the meeting.
The Gig Harbor council voted unanimously to support the letter.
Fleckenstein told the Gateway on Thursday the county’s letter would be discussed at the next meeting of the Aviation Commission in the spring. Given the county’s position as the airport’s official sponsor with the Federal Aviation Administration, it is “highly unlikely” the commission would recommend the site over the county’s objection, he said.
In a followup email to The Gateway, Fleckenstein said, “given the request from the county to remove Tacoma Narrows from consideration for commercial service and the need to have industry interest in establishing operations at an airport, I believe the logical outcome will be to continue to look at Tacoma Narrows for the potential to add capacity at the airport for general aviation demand only.”
“General aviation” is the term used by the FAA for small aircraft. It is the airport’s current use.
Unlikely choice
The list compiled by the Aviation Commission is roughly parallel to another put together by the Puget Sound Regional Council, which also includes the Tacoma Narrows Airport, along with Bremerton and airports in Everett and Snohomish County. PSRC executive director Josh Brown told the council in November the Gig Harbor airport is probably the most challenging location being considered, given its short runway and other problems.
In a video meeting with the Gig Harbor City Council on Nov. 9, Fleckenstein ticked through the list of problems with the Tacoma Narrows site.
“There is an issue with acreage, the runway is only 5,000 feet long, it does not have transit service,” he said. “It is close to the highway, but there are traffic congestion issues. The WSDOT assessment is that it is ‘unlikely due to runway constraints,’” he said, using the acronym for the Department of Transportation.
The commission has determined that a Sea-Tac-sized airport would need 4,600 acres, and a regional airport would need between 1,000 and 2,00 acres, he said. Tacoma Narrows has only 568 acres.
But the key hurdle is lack of support from any big industry players like UPS, FedEx, Southwest or Alaska Airlines, he said.
“For an airport to be viable, it has to have industry support,” Fleckenstein said. “None of those industry partners have expressed an interest in Tacoma Narrows. That is one of the big factors and the reason I don’t think it is going to rise to the top.”
Young, who represents the Peninsula on the county council, said he shares the opposition to the airport and that there is “no desire” for the Tacoma Narrows Airport to be chosen.
“We do not want the Tacoma Narrows Airport being considered for a commercial aviation airport,” Young said. “This will not happen.”
Dammeier affirmed that same message as well, saying “there is no chance this will be resurrected.”
Reach Chase Hutchinson at chase.hutchinson@thenewstribune.com
