The U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have announced more than $347 million in grants on July 26 to improve airports across the nation. The projects aim to enhance airfields, safety efforts, and other improvements at 299 airports in 46 states and American Samoa. These initiatives include the construction of new and improved airport facilities, runway and taxiway repairs, airfield lighting and signage maintenance, as well as funding for equipment to operate and maintain airports.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stated, “The Biden-Harris Administration continues to modernize our aviation infrastructure to make it safer, more resilient, and more efficient. The funding announced today will enable hundreds of airports to make critical improvements that will benefit passengers for years to come.”
These grants mark the third round of funding for the Airport Improvement Project, which receives approximately $3.3 billion in funding annually. FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E. expressed, “These grants will help support our nation’s airports as they make improvements to enhance safety, efficiency, and the needs of travelers for a better experience.”
Airport Improvement Grants
The various improvement projects include efforts to enhance runway and taxiway safety, construct new buildings, and provide new aircraft lighting. Some notable projects include:
- The Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama receiving $6.9 million to improve safety by rehabilitating and reconstructing multiple taxiways.
- Fitiuta Airport in American Samoa receiving a $2 million grant to fix the pavement on runway 12/30.
- Shifting Taxiway E2 at Huntsville International-Carl T. Jones Field in Alabama by 200 feet, and improving pavement and lighting on runway 18/36 with a $12.8 million grant.
- A $6.3 million grant to rehabilitate taxiways P and EC at Denver International Airport in Colorado.
- Increasing capacity and efficiency at the Central Terminal building at Florida’s Miami International Airport with $4.6 million.
- Renewing 5,200 feet of pavement at runway 15/33 at Forest City Municipal Airport in Iowa with $1.4 million.
- Shifting Runway 4/22 and improving Taxiway A at Driggs/Reed Memorial Airport in Idaho with a $10.4 million allocation to meet current FAA standards.
- Reconstructing the pavement on Taxiway B for improved safety at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky with roughly $10 million.
- Enhancing safety and restoring pavement on Taxiway N at Boston Logan International Airport in Massachusetts with $15.5 million.
- Constructing a new terminal building at Oklahoma’s Stillwater Regional Airport to accommodate more passengers with a $7.2 million grant.
- Restoring Runway 4/22 at Greenbrier Valley Airport in West Virginia with $6.5 million.
