After more than two years of trying to settle a collision course of long-range plans for the Coeur d'Alene Airport and highway jurisdictions on the Rathdrum Prairie, local officials say the quest is far from over.

Kootenai County, which operates the airport, is negotiating with landowners of four parcels consisting of 200 acres on the west side of the airport for future expansion, said County Commissioner Todd Tondee, who is also a board member of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization, which represents highway interests.

Part of the future airport expansion involves extending the airport runway from 7,400 feet to about 9,000.

Highway officials, meanwhile, say they weren't consulted about the airport's future plans prior to the plan being adopted in 2012 and that the airport plan conflicts with the Ramsey Road extension and Huetter bypass highway projects.

County commissioners recently decided to allow highway jurisdictions to provide them with a priority list of concerns for consideration and re-open a portion of the airport plan.

"We're trying to plan for the airport and it's conflicting with the highway plans," Tondee said.

"There's a lot of different things brewing that we're in conflict on, so we need to sit down and figure out the best way to move forward. The airport's viability is important to the region, but we also need to protect the roadways."

Tondee said a public hearing is expected to be held to obtain more comment on those competing interests, but a date hasn't been set. A separate public comment period is currently being held on the environmental assessment of the pending property acquisitions.

Commissioners' decision to re-open a part of the airport plan came after stakeholder meetings in June and September facilitated by consultant Braqcke and Associates. The meetings were held so both sides could get a better understanding of their differences.

Greg Delevan, the airport's manager, was unavailable for comment this week, but earlier told The Press that more property at the airport is needed because when airports and roads become too close, safety concerns arise. He said the airport's economic benefit to the region must also be protected.

The land purchases would be paid for mostly though federal grants with some matching funds from the county.

Glenn Miles, KMPO executive director, said the Ramsey Road extension has received federal funding for development.

"Both facilities (the Huetter bypass and Ramsey Road extension) are impacted by the airport's proposed plans and land acquisitions," he said.

The Ramsey extension is on hold, pending resolution of the plan conflicts. The project is being designed and estimated to cost $4 million.

Brett Boyer, Rathdrum's city administrator, said the Huetter bypass is important to the city.

"For Rathdrum long-term, the Huetter bypass will allow our citizens and others better flow through the area taking pressure off Highways 41 and 95 as they become more crowded," Boyer said. "Our concern is that the extension of the runway at the airport could negatively affect the ability to build the Huetter bypass."

The Post Falls and Lakes highway districts are other stakeholders in the discussions.

"At no time was the highway district consulted regarding the future plans and expansion of the airport," wrote Kelly Brownsberger, Post Falls Highway District road supervisor.

He said he believes road improvements should take priority over the airport expansion.

"Without a better understanding of what is proposed, the highway district cannot support the proposed expansion," Brownsberger wrote.

Connie Krueger, Hayden's community development director, said until the most recent airport plan was adopted, the airport had been planned as a low-impact general aviation airport.

But, with the plan, it appears the airport has bigger plans which include providing charter, commercial air and freight services which could affect residents and Hayden business owners, Krueger said.

She said discussions will need to start addressing the big question: "Does this region need this type of an airport in the future and are the costs in terms of impacts to quality of life, property values, political infighting and uncertainty worth it?"

Krueger said she believes all of the issues and impacts still haven't been identified and more legal and aviation planning expertise will be needed to ensure concerns are being worked through thoroughly.

"These items will need to be addressed to move this forward," she said.

Krueger said Hayden has annexed hundreds of acres in the Huetter Road area and has obtained setbacks for the future bypass. She said both road projects were approved after public input about seven years ago.

"In the (airport) plan, the extended runway protection zones are overlain onto both the planned Ramsey Road connection and the Huetter Road bypass, creating inherent difficulties as new guidance from the (Federal Aviation Administration) does not advocate for roads to be located in runway protection zones," she said.