The Federal Aviation Administration recently awarded $427.8 million in grants for airport upgrades nationwide.
According to an FAA press release, the funding will support 245 airport-related infrastructure projects across 39 states intended to modernize and improve the country’s airports. The funding comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) program, part of the $25 billion total included in the law for airport improvements such as terminal expansions and baggage system upgrades, runway safety enhancements, and air traffic infrastructure improvements.
“Americans are flying in record numbers this summer,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The funding we’re announcing, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help airports across the country make needed improvements to ensure safety and efficiency now and for years to come.”
Airports receiving funding as part of this grant package include:
- $29.4 million to John Glenn Columbus International Airport in Ohio: This grant supports the construction of a new terminal tarmac and taxiway, along with the extension of an existing taxiway to enhance safety.
- $10.6 million to El Paso International Airport in Texas: This grant funds the construction of a new general aviation (GA) apron and the rehabilitation of the existing GA apron pavement to enhance efficiency.
- $18.1 million to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport in California: This grant supports the construction of a new taxiway and funds the building of a new terminal to accommodate more passengers.
- $24.9 million to Southwest Florida International Airport in Florida: This grant supports the construction of a new taxiway and the expansion of a concourse apron to handle more passengers. Additionally, it funds the expansion of the existing terminal access road by adding an off-ramp and three traffic lanes to exclusively accommodate increased vehicular traffic serving the airport.
- $8.5 million to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota: This grant supports the expansion of the terminal access road and the rehabilitation of a tarmac and taxiway to improve safety.
- $11.2 million to Hector International Airport in North Dakota: This grant supports the expansion of an existing terminal by adding four gates to better accommodate more passengers and baggage.
- $4.2 million to Dallas Love Field Airport in Texas: This grant supports improvements to the existing airfield drainage system and the Runway 13/31 safety area to mitigate runway excursions and enhance safety.
- $13.6 million to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Kentucky: This grant supports the replacement of passenger boarding bridges to enhance the efficiency of passenger movement throughout the airport.
- $6 million to Glacier Park International in Montana: This grant supports the expansion of the existing terminal to include additional gates, ticketing and kiosk areas, security checkpoints, and passenger holdrooms to better accommodate more passengers.
- $13 million to Norfolk International Airport in Virginia: This grant supports the final phase of construction to rehabilitate Runway 5/23, enhancing safety. It also funds a portion of the terminal building expansion to increase capacity.
A full list of announced AIG grants is available here.
The Airport Infrastructure Grant program is one of three aviation grant programs stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. To date, nearly $9 billion of AIG funding has been made available to airports across the country.
Completed projects that have benefited from the AIG program include:
- $4.4 million to Mesa Phoenix-Mesa Gateway in Arizona: This grant funded the reconstruction of the pavement on Runway 12/30 to improve safety.
- $3.8 million to Mobile International in Alabama: This grant upgraded 870 feet of drainage system controls in the future terminal area to meet FAA standards.
- $3.1 million to Valley International in Harlingen, Texas: This grant extended Runway 35L by an additional 1,100 feet to accommodate a higher volume of aircraft and reduce delays in existing traffic.
America’s airports have for years needed some TLC.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) gave the United States’ aviation infrastructure a D+ in its 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.
“Over a two-year period, passenger travel steadily increased from 964.7 million to 1.2 billion per year, yet flight service only increased from 9.7 to 10.2 million flights per year — contributing in part to a total of nearly 96 million delay minutes for airline passengers in 2019,” the ASCE wrote. “Terminal, gate, and ramp availability was not meeting the needs of a growing passenger base.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
What type of informational output is provided when GPRS conducts a utility locate?
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