Oakland Int'l Airport Releases Plan for Projected Growth

Feb. 3, 2006
The port expects an additional 12 million passengers, 0.77 million tons of cargo and tens of thousands of small plane trips by 2025.

Oakland International Airport released a master plan Tuesday that lays out options for land use to accommodate growth in passengers, cargo and private planes anticipated for the next 20 years.

It doesn't go into specific projects such as new terminals or parking lots; those will come later, using the master plan as a foundation. The port expects an additional 12 million passengers, 0.77 million tons of cargo and tens of thousands of small plane trips by 2025.

"This isn't an indicator or guarantee or even a preliminary plan," said Alamedan Dave Needle, who is a participant in the master plan process.

The plan includes a discussion of environmental impacts of expansion -- air pollution, traffic, crowding on Interstate 880, he said. It also considers alternative transportation, including a possible light rail between the airport and BART, said Kristi McKenney, the port's aviation planning manager.

The port wants to begin a detailed study of a new terminal with 16 to 21 additional gates, and associated construction of roads and parking, to handle near-term growth, McKenney said.

The collaborative effort with nearby jurisdictions was a welcome change, given the contentious history between the port and its neighbors, both Needle and McKenney said. Alameda, San Leandro and Berkeley-based Keep Jets Over the Bay dogged the airport for decades over the effects of expansion, a dispute that was resolved in 2001 with the settlement of a lawsuit.

"We're very happy the port hasn't just heard our words but reacted correctly to (them)," Needle said. "We are full partners in these meetings."

"The biggest thing for the port is the process," McKenney said. For the first time, the public worked at the very early level of data analysis, she said.

Contra Costa Times

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