On Monday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced it had awarded more than $100 million to projects that would reduce runway incursions at airports across the country.
The Runway Incursion Mitigation Program provided funding to 12 airports for projects ranging from reconfiguring taxiways, installing airfield lighting or constructing new taxiways, the agency said.
“Some airfields have complex layouts that can create confusion for pilots and other airport users. This funding will reconfigure complex taxiway and runway intersections to help prevent incursions and enhance the safety of the National Airspace System,” said FAA Associate Administrator Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.
Officials said the program was developed to identify airports with runway incursion risk factors, including complexity and airfield layout, and to help eliminate them.
Included in the funding is a $6 million package to Miami International Airport to shift one taxiway and fix the intersection of two others. The Harry Reid International Airport will receive $13.4 million to reconfigure four taxiways to meet safety standards, while shifting two runways and installing runway status and guard lights.
Tucson International Airport will receive the largest package – $33.1 million – to construct one taxiway while shifting and rebuilding another. Waverly Municipal Airport in Waverly, Iowa will receive the smallest package – $223,000 – to build a taxiway parallel to the Runway 11 turnaround to the apron that will eliminate the need for aircraft to back-taxi on the runway.
The funding announcement follows a March Safety Summit held by the FAA to address recent incidents, and an airport safety tour in April by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.