WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $ 169.3 million in airport infrastructure grants to 85 airports in 35 states across the United States as part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP).
“The Airport Improvement Program helps to maintain our aviation infrastructure and supports safety, capacity, security and environmental improvements,” said Secretary Chao.
The airport grant program funds various types of airport infrastructure projects, including runways, taxiways, and airport signage, lighting, and markings which help to create thousands of jobs.
Airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP funding each year, based on passenger volume. If their capital project needs exceed their available entitlement funds, then the FAA can supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding. At this time, the FAA is providing discretionary funding to 25 airports based on their high-priority project needs.
Those receiving discretionary grants are listed here, while the entitlement grant recipients can be found at the link below:
Hays Regional Airport in Hays, KS $1.59 million – the funds will be used to install a fence to keep wildlife off the airport property.
Lawrence Municipal Airport in Lawrence, KS, $1.61 million – grants funds will be used to install a fence to keep wildlife off the airport property.
Ness City Municipal Airport in Ness City, KS, $1.16 million – grant funds will be used to construct a new 4,000-foot runway, install runway lights, and apply runway markings.
Salina Regional Airport in Salina, KS, $1.2 million – funds will be used to repair Taxiways E and B.
Topeka Regional Airport in Topeka, KS, $8 million – funds will be used to reconstruct Runway 13/31 and several connecting taxiways.
Philip Billard Municipal Airport in Topeka, KS, $1.6 million – funds will be used to convert Runway 4/22 into a taxiway to enhance the safety of aircraft movement on the ground.
Genesee County Airport in Batavia, NY, $3 million – grant funds will be used to rebuild Runway 10-28.
Plattsburgh International Airport in Plattsburgh, NY, $3.4 million – funds will be used to rebuild Runway 17-35.
Sky Harbor Airport in Duluth, MN, $4.6 million – the project will realign the runway to improve the path for approaching aircraft.
Fitchburg Municipal in Fitchburg, MA, $1.1 million – the grant will be used to clear the approach path to Runway 14/32.
Manchester Airport in Manchester, NH, $3.5 million – funds will be used to reconstruct Taxiway H and relocate Taxiway B to enhance safety at the airport.
Rutland-Southern Vermont Regional Airport in Rutland, VT, $2.4 million – the project will construct a portion of parallel Taxiway A.
City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, CO, $7.7 million – the project will repair Taxiways N, P, and H and the taxiway lighting.
Pueblo Memorial Airport in Pueblo, CO, $3.8 million – grant funds will be used to repair Runway 17/35.
McNary Field in Salem, OR, $3.5 million – funds will be used to rebuild a portion of Runway 13/31 to maintain the structural integrity of the runway.
Snohomish County/Paine Field in Everett, WA, $12 million – the grant will be used to relocate part of Taxiway B to enhance safety and to rebuild the general aviation apron where aircraft park on the airport.
Florence Regional Airport in Florence, SC, $3.6 million – the project will replace the aircraft rescue and firefighting building.
Lexington County at Pelion in Pelion, SC, $3.5 million – the project will repair
Runway 18-36.
Lovell Field in Chattanooga, TN, $3.5 million – the grant will be used to rebuild the east apron on the airport.
Kissimmee Gateway in Kissimmee, FL, $1.2 million – funds will be used to repair
Runway 15/33.
Fort Smith Regional Airport in Fort Smith, AR, $3.1 million – funds will be used to construct an aircraft rescue and firefighting building on the airport.
Texas State Block Grant Program in Austin TX, $6 million – funds will be used at Dallas Executive Airport to extend Runway 13 by 685 feet. As a participant in the State Block Grant Program, the state of Texas administers AIP funds for general aviation airports in the state.
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, TX, $10.8 million – this project will fund the expansion of the terminal apron to provide additional space for aircraft parking.
Jack Brooks Regional Airport in Beaumont, TX, $3.3 million – grant funds will be used to reconstruct Taxiway Delta.
Fort Worth Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, TX, $10 million – the project will extend Runways 16L/34R and 16R/34L.
The FAA will issue AIP grants to the airports over the next several weeks in time to take advantage of the spring and summer construction season. The grants will ensure the projects at these airports are either under construction or completed prior to the onset of the winter season, which comes in late fall in some parts of the country.