Trenton-Mercer Airport construction appears delayed. Here's why

Plans for a bigger passenger terminal to accommodate growing demand at the Trenton-Mercer Airport appear temporarily grounded.

The Mercer County Department of Transportation and Infrastructure said its plans to modernize the regional airport would begin in late 2023 and would be completed in 26 months.

So far, no sign of activity.

That’s fine with Judy Hoechner, of Lower Makefield, whose home is in the airport’s flight path.

“No, they’ve not broken ground. They still need funding and (environmental) permits,” said Hoechner, a member of Trenton Threatened Skies, a group that has opposed the improvements and expansion for years.

The group, comprised of residents on both sides of the Delaware River, oppose Mercer County’s plans, which authorities say is merely updating and improving the airport that handled some 600,000 passengers in 2023. Officials have repeatedly said the plan will not increase air traffic at the county-owned airport.

Hoechner doesn’t believe them.

“It’s an expansion,” she said.

She pointed to the proposed 125,000-square-foot passenger terminal, about four times larger than the current terminal, and the terminal’s four gates with jetways.

“Right now people have to get off the plane onto the tarmac. Jetways make it easier to move a lot more people to a lot more planes,” she said.

A message left with Mercer County to clarify what it’s doing and confirm if its plans are delayed was not immediately returned. An employee in the county communications office said a message would be given to the director "so he will call you at his convenience."

Trenton Threatened Skies believe the airport intends to attract more scheduled commercial airlines that will send soaring, roaring 737s, Airbuses and other large passenger jets over their peaceful — and upscale — suburban neighborhoods. Currently, Frontier is the only commercial airline flying from Trenton-Mercer.

Money is the problem, Hoechner said.

“They need about $200 million, and they don’t have it,” she said.

In April, county officials touted the $4.1 million allocated to the airport from Congress' appropriation bill. Officials, in a press release, said the money was for "the full-depth reconstruction of 20,000 SY of airfield taxiway and apron pavement."

" The full-depth reconstruction of the taxiway will allow Trenton-Mercer Airport to enhance overall aircraft safety by giving them more reliable pavement to operate on. The new taxiway is essential to Mercer County’s larger terminal replacement project," the statement read. The release did not address the status of the improvement project and calls at the time were not returned.

Mercer also needs permits showing the airport is free of certain levels of PFAS, the carcinogenic chemical used in firefighting foam that has been used and stored for decades at the airport. The airport also hosts a military air base, while private jets, NetJets and smaller general aviation aircraft also call it home. A new Air Rescue and Firefighting facility is being built as part of the construction, and is a concern for residents in terms of PFAS, sometimes known as forever chemicals since they don't break down.

“There’s PFAS on the property. Not only at the site of the new terminal they want, but across the airport,” Hoechner said.

While environmental concerns could stall construction, local opposition is mostly due to the threat of additional air traffic over Bucks and Mercer counties, which residents fear could become 24/7.

“I’ve learned more about airplanes and how airports work than I really ever wanted,” Hoechner said. “But the more planes, the more varied the entrances there will be into the airport. The more traffic you have, the lower and longer they’re going to fly in over places like Newtown and Langhorne.

The FAA granted approval for the bigger terminal after finding “no significant impact” on the environment.

“(Mercer) always call what they want to do a ‘replacement’, but it’s going to lead to an expansion,” Hoechner said.

It’s not just the bigger passenger terminal, either. Plans call for a multi-level parking garage that will hold more than 1,000 vehicles, with additional parking lots listed as “potential options.”

Then there's the FAA's forecasts of a 51% increase in flights from Mercer, rising from 316,665 now to 476,507 by 2035.

In August, U.S. Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman told the U.S. Department of Transportation to perform more rigorous studies on the project and its impact on the local environment. Lower Makefield and Yardley also joined the protests in 2023. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick also urged more studies.

The first plane landed at Mercer in 1907 on what was then the Reeder farm off Bear Tavern Road. When modernized in 1975, Trenton-Mercer's terminal averaged about 55,000 passengers per year. Today, the airport employs 23 full-time and seven part-time employees. It generates about $2 million in annual revenue, said Dave Miller, Mercer County's chief financial officer.

Despite its tight accommodations (only 175 people can fit in its undersized terminal), Frontier made Trenton-Mercer its East Coast hub with its inaugural inbound flight from Miami in October 2017.

In a 206-page report commissioned for Mercer County, the infrastructure consulting firm McFarland Johnson, of New York, said the existing Transportation Security Administration setup at Trenton-Mercer was "inadequate" and "does not meet standards."

JD Mullane can be reached at 215-949-5745 or at jmullane@couriertimes.com.