The Federal Aviation Administration will award $185.1 million in airport infrastructure grants to 107 airports, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced.
The airports, located in 40 states across the United States, will receive these grants as part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The grant program funds several types of airport infrastructure projects, such as runways, taxiways, as well as airport signage and lighting, many of which will help to create thousands of American jobs.
“AIP grants will allow airports to complete critical airport infrastructure projects that will help maintain the safety of the nation’s airports,” FAA Administrator Michael P. Huerta said.
All airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP funding each year, based on passenger volume. If an airport’s capital project requires additional funding beyond what it is entitled to, however, the FAA can decide to supplement their entitlements with discretionary funding.
Airports receiving discretionary grants include, but are not limited to, Fort Dodge Regional Airport in Fort Dodge, Iowa – $25 million to repair the aircraft parking area; Theodore Francis Green State Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island – $6.9 million to extend Runway 5/23; Columbia Regional Airport in Columbia, Missouri – $2.7 million to reconstruct Taxiway B; and Reading Regional/Carl A. Spaatz Field in Reading, Pennsylvania – $1.8 million to construct a fence to help prevent wildlife hazards at the airport.
AIP grants will be issued over the course of the next few weeks in order to capitalize on the construction season, allowing enough time for the beginning stages or project completion to be accomplished before the onset of late fall and winter.