Revised third airport blueprints head for
October 3, 2006
By Guy Tridgell Staff writer
A new layout for the proposed south suburban airport, one that Will County claims favors its plans for the project, is on its way to Washington, D.C.
The revised blueprint for the airfield near Peotone will be sent to the Federal Aviation Administration by the state this month, Will County officials said Monday.
Matt Ryan, chief of staff to county executive Larry Walsh, said the layout is an improvement from a rival plan offered by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-2nd), of Chicago.
The county and Jackson's Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission have fought for four years over which side should partner on the project with the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"It's workable, protects the environment and allows for future expansion," Ryan said of the new plan. "It's better than any of the alternatives."
Jackson's proposal was submitted by IDOT as its favored version for the airport in 2004.
An IDOT spokesman declined to elaborate on any changes that will be forwarded to the FAA.
But officials with the county and Jackson's office said the changes involve moving the terminal building east to protect Black Walnut Creek.
Ryan said the Jackson airport proposal was too close to the creek, which stretches nearly 40 miles across the county.
"We don't want to disrupt the environment any more than we are going to," he said. "This is the type of plan we can get behind."
The new layout also leaves room for Bult Field, a general aviation airport under construction in Will Township, Ryan said.
Jackson spokesman Rick Bryant downplayed the revisions, saying the new layout will be merely one of two preferred concepts for the airport given to the FAA.
Bryant said the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission will not object to the modifications.
Once IDOT sends the revisions to the FAA, it will be years before commercial aircraft begin landing in eastern Will County.
An FAA spokesman said the application for O'Hare International Airport took two years to complete once Chicago submitted its layout plan. The process for O'Hare also was expedited, a luxury that has yet to be guaranteed for the state's airport.
Transportation writer Guy Tridgell may be reached at gtridgell@dailysouthtown.com or (708) 633-5970.
Click here to read more of Congressman Jackson's Issues and Positions.
|
