The proposed

expansion of a fifth runway at Hartsfield International Airport could

be delayed because of two separate events.

The first was

the Sept.11 terroristic attacks, which crippled air travel in the country.

The second

event has evolved in the last month when the Atlanta City Council balked

at signing a $360 million contact for fill dirt at the site.

"Everybody's

talking about that dirt. But my feeling is that when there's that much

money involved, there's bound to be corruption," said Fulton County

Commissioner Bill Edwards.

The quagmire

over the lone bid for the dirt has smudged Hartsfield General Manager

Ben DeCosta's reputation and has caused members of the Atlanta City Council

to publicly chastise DeCosta's handling of the bid.

While Edwards

believes the runway will eventually be built, he's starting to wonder

how the financial end of the deal will be completed.

"Delta

committed to a big part of the costs. I wonder what they'll do now,"

he said.

Edwards said

that if Delta finds the money to pay for the runway expansion instead

of not cutting jobs, he will know that they're not interested in the "human

factor."

In the meantime,

Edwards wants a response from DeCosta in November to Fulton County's mitigation

plan for residents and businesses affected by the expansion.

"We submitted

it a few months ago, but I haven't heard a thing," he said.

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