ROMULUS, Mich. -- The Wayne County Airport Authority Board, city leaders and residents voted Thursday not to add a fifth runway to a master plan for renovation at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus.

Romulus and nearby communities opposed the runway addition because it would have closed schools and displaced 3,500 residents.

The Wayne County Airport Authority Board postponed its decision on the expansion last month. This was the fourth discussion on the plan since January.

Officials said they will revisit the idea of another terminal in eight years.

“This fatally flawed plan was built on bad numbers and bad miscalculations and our citizens must not be forced to pay the price for the airport’s mistakes," Romulus Mayor Alan Lambert said. "We thank our citizens for their support and we thank the Airport Authority Board for continuing to work to get all the answers we need."

Airport officials have said the 10,000-foot runway is necessary to handle an expected 2.4 percent annual increase in traffic at the nation's 11th-busiest airport.

Master Plan: Airport Expansion Plans

Many communities nearby have been rallying against the airport because it would displace 815 single-family properties and one 352-unit multiple family development.

The plan would have closed schools and 50 businesses in Belleville, Van Buren, Brownstown and Huron townships, and the cities of Taylor and Dearborn.

In addition, five cities have signed a joint letter to the Airport Authority calling on it to answer all questions that the communities have and to reveal all data, including Dearborn Heights, Dearborn, Romulus, Inkster and Taylor.

The Wayne County Airport Authority has made this statement:

The Wayne County Airport Authority has been and remains committed to developing a Master Plan for DTW in the most transparent and collaborative fashion possible. Accordingly, the Airport Authority has provided complete responses to all of the questions it has received to date from city residents and government officials concerning the proposed plan. Several mayors and other officials from communities near DTW have accepted the Airport Authority’s standing offer to meet with them to discuss details of the proposed plan.

DTW is one of Southeast Michigan’s strongest assets and a powerful economic engine. According to a University of Michigan-Dearborn study, the airport has an average annual economic impact of $7.6 billion on the State of Michigan. The airport stimulates more than 71,000 jobs in the state translating to more than $2 billion in earnings each year. Looking ahead, the Airport Authority takes seriously its responsibility to ensure that DTW continues to be a source of new economic opportunity for the region well into the future. When fully implemented, the proposed Master Plan for DTW will create numerous new, local jobs. The plan is estimated to cost nearly $3.6 billion—much of which would be spent directly within the local community.

With so much at stake, the Airport Authority will further its commitment to provide opportunities for collaboration with local communities to cooperatively maximize the economic potential of Southeast Michigan’s vital air transportation infrastructure.

What do you think? Tell us what you think about the airport expansion.

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