Typical short sightedness. Just a few years after the airport is completed, they'll be bitching again to expand it. It should be expanded now, even if it means spending a little bit more now because it will be very expensive to expand later. David R -------------- Original message -------------- > --- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "10/5 SJ Mercury" wrote: > Published Wednesday, October 5, 2005, in the San Jose Mercury News > > Airport growth on 45-day hold > City to weigh Mineta expansion plan > > By Deborah Lohse > > The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to place a > 45-day moratorium on bids for airport construction projects while > aviation officials weigh a plan that would drastically scale back the > city's once-ambitious expansion of Mineta San Jose International > Airport. > > In the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the > dot-com bust, San Jose officials have been forced to rethink an > ambitious 1997 airport expansion plan that would have created a > double-deck roadway to the airport, a large central terminal for > eating and checking in luggage, and a people-moving system to the > airport's concourses. > > "If changes have to be made, this is the ideal time to make those > changes," said William Sherry, San Jose's aviation director since > May. > > Last month, a group of 41 people representing airlines, airport > officials, consultants and San Jose city staffers spent three days > crafting a unanimously supported plan for scaling back the airport > expansion to one costing $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion, instead of > $4.5 > billion. Among other changes, the new plan would forgo a double-deck > roadway, shut down Terminal C and greatly revamp Terminal A. > > Sherry requested the moratorium so city officials can explore the > feasibility of the scaled-back plan. San Jose's seven-member airport > commission supports the moratorium, as do San Jose's 14 airlines and > the San Jose/Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sherry said. > > The most immediate impact of the moratorium will be to suspend two > construction projects for a wall and another structure at the North > Concourse. Airport officials also want the city to halt plans to > construct a USO/Revenue Control building because it would be located > at a spot that airport officials may want to expand Terminal A. A > decision on the USO building was deferred until the Oct. 18 council > meeting. > > Airport officials said they'd like to come back to the city council > Nov. 15 with recommendations for "changes to scope, schedule and > costs" of the airport's expansion plans. > > > Contact Deborah Lohse at dlohse@xxxx or (408) 275-0140. > --- End forwarded message ---