U.S. DOT awards airport improvement grants

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Transportation announced the Federal Aviation Administration will award $230 million in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants for 104 airports and $105.3 million in airport infrastructure grants to 133 airports across the United States.

The airport grant program funds various types of airport infrastructure projects, including runways, taxiways, and airport signage, lighting, and markings which helps 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, FAA is providing discretionary funding to five 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:

• Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles — $11 million to construct Taxiway T, which will connect the north and south runway complexes, and to construct the east and west aircraft parking aprons at the Tom Bradley International Terminal building.
• Sioux County Regional Airport in Sioux Center, Iowa — $4.7 million to complete construction of the new airport which will replace the Orange City Municipal Airport and Sioux Center Municipal Airport.
• Orange County Airport in Montgomery, N.Y. — $14.6 million to realign an existing runway at this general aviation airport creating a standard safety area. This grant also includes projects to realign the parallel taxiway, connector taxiways, and various navigational aids affected by the runway realignment.
• John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio — $533,000 to reimburse for construction of a replacement Runway 10R/28L, which was commissioned on August 22, 2013.
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport in Avoca, Pa. — $5.4 millionto rehabilitate Taxiway B and D at the airport. The project also includes drainage improvements, signage, grading, and lighting.

“U.S. airports are huge economic drivers,” said FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta. “AIP allows us to continue to invest in the safety and modernization of our nation’s airports.”

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 early in late fall in some parts of the country.

Download a list of AIP grant announcements at https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grantapportion_data/media/FY17-AIP-Grants-Ready-to-Go-2017-07-06b.pdf.