Philadelphia International Airport - Runway Expansion

Runway Expansion

As of 2005, there are two studies which deal with expanding runway capacity at PHL airport. The first is the Runway 17-35 Extension Project EIS which has completed the Final Environmental Impact Statement and broken ground. The plan is to extend runway 17-35 to length of 6,500 ft (2,000 m), extending it at both ends and incorporating the proper runway safety areas. The second study, the PHL Capacity Enhancement Program has a much larger scope and is considering more drastic ways to increase runway capacity at PHL. Manchester Airport's expansion plans for a second parallel runway involved working closely with PHL air traffic controllers to implement a training program due to similarities in runway configuration in which aircraft must taxi over an active runway. In an effort to alleviate existing and forecast delays, the City of Philadelphia will complete major improvements to increase airfield capacity at PHL. The Capacity Enhancement Program is estimated to cost over $5 billion and take 13 years largely due to the slow process of moving residents out of some 72 homes before major groundbreaking gets underway. The Runway 17-35 Extension Project will provide a short-term delay reduction. The major components of the entire project include:

• Extension of Runway 17-35;
• Extension of parallel Taxiways D and E;
• Construction of a High Speed Taxiway for Runway 35 landings exiting to Taxiway E;
• Construction of an Aircraft Holding Apron at Runway 35 end;
• Relocation of Airside Perimeter Service Roads at Runway 17 and Runway 35 ends;
• Installation of High Intensity Runway Lighting (HIRL) and Medium Intensity Taxiway Lighting (MITL);
• Modifications to airfield signs;
• Substantial relocation/modification of navigational aids (NAVAIDS):
• Demolition of existing Taxiways D2 and E2;
• Modifications to existing Economy Parking Lot;
• Re-designation of existing State Route (SR) 291 north of Airport;
• Modifications to Bartram Avenue from the SR 291 intersection to Island Ave., SR 291 and I-95 ramps;
• Demolition of SR 291 at Runway 17 extension work area;
• Construction of Landside Service Road adjacent to I-95 right-of-way limit;
• Associated drainage, grading and utility relocations/modifications.

The first phase (IG), which allowed for the redesignation of Route 291, is complete. The remaining phases I, II and III are in progress.

U.S. Airways, the airport's largest tenant, warned the Federal government in a February 2012 10-K report that this expansion was unnecessary and the increased cost to the airlines may cause it to consolidate its operations at PHL into CLT and DCA, similar to its draw down at PIT.