Philadelphia Airport expansion faces new hurdle
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
By: Tom MacDonald
tmacdonald@whyy.org
A fight is brewing over the expansion of Philadelphia International Airport. One that could wind up in court.
Part of Philadelphia International Airport actually sits in Tinicum Township. Tinicum officials say they don't want the airport to take up any more of their land.
David Schreiber is Tinicum Township Manager. He says the township is going to court to enforce a 1925 law requiring the airport to ask permission of the township to expand.
Schreiber: Their capacity enhancement plan calls for the building of additional runways within Tinicum Township that would displace dozens of businesses and residences and that concerns us very much.
Schreiber says officials are afraid they will lose businesses and residents who would be displaced. Rina Cutler is Philadelphia's Deputy Mayor for transportation. She says the city will defend its right to expand the airport.
Schreiber: It's difficult to have a partnership when one of the parties isn't speaking to the other one.
A hearing date has not been set.