The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration recently announced that Louisiana’s airports would receive nearly $35.7 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The awards are part of $2.89 billion for airports across the country to invest in runways, taxiways, safety, and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections, and roadway projects, the USDOT said.
More than 50 of the state’s 81 airports will receive funding raining from $110,000 to more than $14 million for a total of $35,689,010.
“Building back better is not just a motto, it is actually happening,” said Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “This investment will help us continue our mission to improve our aviation infrastructure to ensure a safe, modern, and well-managed system of airports which provides convenient and efficient access to the state for tourism, commerce, industrial interests, recreation, and economic development.”
In the coming weeks, the 51 airports that will receive the funding will be able to submit projects they wish to use the funds on to the FAA for review. Airports are encouraged to prioritize projects that increase airport safety, equity, and sustainability. The funding is part of the Airport Infrastructure Grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides $15 billion over five years. The FAA estimates that airports have a backlog of more than $43 billion in airport modernization and safety projects.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build safer and more sustainable airports that connect individuals to jobs and communities to the world,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “With this new funding, urban, regional and rural airports across the country now can get to work on projects that have waited for years, modernizing their infrastructure and building a better America.”