…Politics Instead Of Bulldozers…

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Although parallels to Chicago’s Meigs Field spring to mind, Psutka said it’s unlikely Miller will send in a fleet of excavators (by “sea”) to seal TCCA’s fate. Rather, Psutka said he believes Miller and his anti-airport backers will administer a political death. After killing the bridge, he believes the next target will be the smoke-belching, rusting ferry that is the airport’s only surface access. The airport will have to close without the ferry and, predicts Psutka, the land will then be developed into a park and residential development requiring access to the mainland, “… and the bridge will be built,” said Psutka. The shenanigans have prompted lawsuit threats totaling billions of dollars, including a $400 million threat from businessman Robert Deluce, who claims his well-advanced plans to start a commuter airline based at TCCA depend on the construction of the bridge. But that’s not all.

Stolport Corp., an aircraft handling and airport service company, is threatening a $75 million suit over the loss of increased business it’s been planning and building for since the bridge was announced. The Port Authority is also threatening to sue for $1 billion if the bridge doesn’t go ahead and a group of waterfront residents have a $1 billion to $3 billion action planned if it does. The city is named in all the suits. The city council motion is contingent on the federal government indemnifying it against all those potential lawsuits but the feds have not publicly agreed to that condition. Psutka said COPA is appalled by the potential waste of money the issue could spawn and he won’t be taking his members (or their wallets) into the legal fray. Rather, they will be encouraged to write and e-mail their government representatives in support of TCCA.

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