Victory in Boston's own version of the Thirty Years' War will be declared on Thanksgiving when the first jet touches down on a 5,000-foot stretch of concrete and asphalt known as runway 14/32.
Nearly three years to the day after a Suffolk Superior Court judge ended a 27-year legal standoff and ruled that construction could begin on the controversial Logan International Airport runway, it will be available for turkey day travel.
``It'll reduce delays by up to 90 percent on days when the wind is out of the northwest,'' Massport spokesman Richard Walsh said. ``It'll reduce delays overall by 25 percent. I think our customers will be pleased.''
Winthrop's Robert Driscoll Sr., who once joined dozens of East Boston and Winthrop residents in a campaign to stop the runway's construction, said all he can do is hope it's not as bad as they feared.
``It may be that 14/32 is not going to have that much of an effect on Winthrop,'' Driscoll said. ``What we're concerned about is that 14/32 could ease up delays on other runways and increase airplane traffic. That would be a problem.''
He said he's now in a fight to halt a proposed taxiway in the center of the airport that promises to increase airplane noise and pollution.
The runway will be available to commuter planes and local jets, and only on days when wind conditions permit its use. But there will be no marching band to greet the first jet that touches down.
``No fanfare,'' said Massport spokesman Phil Orlandella. ``It's taken us 30 years to get that open.''
For Driscoll, the front lines have moved but the battle continues.
``We gave it our best,'' he said.
Copyright 2005 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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