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Airport's unlikely to increase pollution What I would like to know is how we in the valley are going to cope with the increased air pollution that the expansion of the Medford airport will cause. Would you advise us as to the approximate number and size of jumbo jets that will be landing and taking off when the runway expansion is finished, and the approximate increase in the number of trucks of all sizes that will be needed to assist in the handling of the loads of freight that will be arriving day and night? As a former airline employee, I'm going to calculate that this venture will more than double our air pollution problems of today without a noticeable increase in jobs or other benefits. -- Robert L., Central Point The conclusion you draw is 180 degrees from what was in an environmental assessment prepared earlier this year by David Evans and Associates and TW Environmental Inc., both of Portland, Robert. Reports are required when federal money or permits are involved in projects such as the 2,100-foot extension at Rogue Valley International-Medford airport. The report concluded that air pollution from the project would not be "regionally significant" and would not require special mitigation measures. For all pollutants except fine particles of less than 10 microns (PM-10), the project would increase their amounts less than 10 tons each. For PM-10, the amount would be higher, but most of it would come from summer construction; the valley's PM-10 problem is greatest in winter. "Traffic backed up at one of our intersections would generate more pollution than the runway extension," said Bern Case, director of the Jackson County Airport Authority. The extension of the main runway to 8,800 feet is scheduled for completion next fall. "The runway expansion and associated improvements do not significantly increase the capacity of the airport," the report said. You are correct in assuming that more aircraft will land at and take off from the airport. The report forecasts 2,428 jet aircraft landing-and-takeoff cycles in 2011, the latest year in the airport master plan, up 17.5 percent from the 2,066 projected without the extension. More of them would be by B-737-500s and B-757s, and fewer by B-737-200s. Medford's foreign-trade zone is estimated to account for seven B-757 flights weekly. As for truck traffic associated with loading and unloading of aircraft cargo from the foreign-trade zone, the report projects a few trips per week of medium trucks and periodic trips of large trucks. (Send your questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by fax to (541) 776-4376; or by e-mail to: [email protected] Please include your name, address and phone number for verification.) Today's News Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA