SYDNEY, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- After more than half a century of debate, discussion and delay, construction is finally underway at the site of Sydney's second airport on Monday.
Set to be a huge boost to the local economy, the first sod at the Western Sydney Airport was turned by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said the 5.3-billion-Australian dollar (3.85 billion U.S. dollar) project will provide a gateway to the world for the people of Western Sydney and help create much needed jobs across the area.
"This airport will remove the handbrake from the Western Sydney economy," he said.
"This is job generating infrastructure. Most times when infrastructure is built, there is job creation in the short-term and then it tails off when the project is completed, but with this project, job creation will accelerate when the airport is completed."
In total, the government expects around 11,000 new jobs to be created in the initial construction period with a further 28,000 to follow in the first five years of opening.
First mentioned in New South Wales (NSW) State Parliament back in 1962, the topic of a second Sydney airport quickly became a "white hot" political issue.
With no room to expand Kingsford Smith Airport in the city's eastern suburbs, legislators were constantly on the lookout for another location.
But as the Sydney area kept rapidly expanding, debate raged about where the new site should be.
Although it took around 20 years to decide, in the 1980's a site at Badgerys Creek was eventually chosen by the Australian government, but from there the problems just kept coming.
"Back in the 80's when Sydney airport needed a third runway people were worried about the amount of noise because the surrounding area has a lot of dense residential housing," Western Sydney Business Chamber director David Borger told Xinhua.
"Because of that, it then became a poisonous issue politically even though the Western Sydney Airport site has nowhere near as much residential housing."
But as the millenium rolled on and Sydney's only international airport continued to get busier handling around 40 million passengers, 350,000 flights and 500,000 tons of freight per year, it became clear that something would need to be done.
According to Borger, what eventually changed the tide on public opinion was broad-based community support.
"Around five years ago we started a movement that became an alliance right across the community," Borger said.
Working with local mayors, the business community, Western Sydney University and the area's beloved football team -- the Western Sydney Wanderers, the business chamber led a movement which sparked a new wave of enthusiasm for the long-term infrastructure project.
Seeing huge opportunities for business and industry, supporters of the site not only envisage a new airport, but a full scale aerotropolis that is set to revitalize the surrounding area.
Aside from making air travel easier for residents living in the harbour city's west, Borger said the project will also help ease traffic congestion on Sydney roads.
"It will mean a lot more jobs closer to where people live," he explained.
"That will help reduce commuting time and it will provide a lot of business opportunities to companies that want to set up there."
With the goal of improving livability right across Sydney, the State Government of NSW believes the development of the Western Sydney Airport will act to redesign the city into three distinct economic centres -- the Eastern Harbour City, the Central River City and the new Western Parkland City.
The first flights are expected to land at the Western Sydney Airport sometime in 2026.
