Biden-Harris Administration announces nearly $250m in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding to modernize airports in 37 states

The FAA will award $245.9m in Fiscal Year 2024 Airport Infrastructure Grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The award includes 153 grants in 37 states to modernize airport infrastructure, improve runway safety, and create jobs to build a better America.

"We saw a record number of passengers fly during the recent holiday season, and we can expect increased demand for air travel to continue" said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. "These investments from the Biden-Harris administration are making it possible to modernize our country's aging airport infrastructure to meet this demand today and ensure safe, efficient travel into the future."

Over the last decade, funding inconsistencies have delayed the ability to modernize technology and infrastructure that support the airspace. These awards, made possible by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are helping reverse that trend to ensure that American air travel remains the safest and most efficient in the world.

“Collectively, these grants help airports across the nation make timely improvements to key critical infrastructure which ensures passengers have a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience as they travel,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.

As travel continues to increase, safety remains our utmost priority. Several grants being announced today will help to reduce the risk of runway incursions. Projects will reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install new lighting systems and provide more flexibility on the airfield. Among those include:

• $2.2 million to Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township, Michigan, to construct an 8,617-foot parallel Taxiway to eliminate the need for aircraft to back-taxi on the runway.

• $2 million to Dane County Regional Airport in Madison, Wisconsin to rehabilitate an existing on-airport roadway to provide a path for aircraft rescue firefighting trucks, airport vehicles, or ground service equipment to operate without entering movement areas.

• $1.1 million to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International in Alabama to improve the Runway 6/24 safety area to enhance the safety of operations at the airport.

• $1.7 million to San Bernardino International Airport in California to improve an existing on-airport roadway, to provide a path for aircraft rescue firefighting trucks, airport vehicles, or ground service equipment to operate without entering movement areas.

• $379,620 to Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah, Kentucky, to expand an existing on-airport roadway an additional 6,100 feet to provide a path for aircraft rescue firefighting trucks, airport vehicles, or ground service equipment to operate without entering movement areas.

• $254,880 to Mansfield Municipal Airport in Massachusetts, to acquire two easements for obstruction removal in the Runway 32 approach path.

• $531,000 to Westfield-Barnes Regional in Massachusetts, to remove airport tree obstructions from the Runway 15 approach path.

• $38,151 to Knox County Regional in Rockland, Maine, to conduct an environmental assessment of the proposed easement acquisition and obstruction removal within the Runway 31 approach surface. This project removes an airport vegetation obstruction from the Runway 13/31 approach and departure paths.

Other notable grants include:

• $45 million to Dallas-Fort Worth International in Texas to rehabilitate 13,400 feet of Runway 17R/35L to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.

• ⁠$18 million to Sitka Rocky Gutierrez in Alaska to expand the existing terminal building an additional 16,000 square feet to better accommodate existing passengers.

• $15.2 million to Ontario International in California to rehabilitate 10,200 feet of the existing Runway 8R/26L and reconstructs 668 feet of Taxiway S8 pavement to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.

• $5.5 million to Des Moines International in Iowa to construct a new 295,000 square foot terminal building to include six gates and related areas which will increase passenger throughput and reduce delays.

Approximately $1.7 million will be used to construct or improve fuel farms, including:

• $448,000 at Boone Municipal in Boone, Iowa
• $400,000 at Oskaloosa Municipal in Oskaloosa, Iowa
• $336,000 at Nebraska City Municipal in Nebraska City, Nebraska
• $330,000 at Denison Municipal in Denison, Iowa
• $223,000 at Kanab Municipal in Kanab, Utah

Approximately $2.1 million will be used to purchase acquire aircraft rescue & firefighting vehicles, including:

• $1.8 million at Garden City Regional in Garden City, Kansas
• $294,609 at Rutland/Southern Vermont Regional in Vermont

Approximately $70 million will be used on terminal projects at 11 other airports, including:

• $274,501 at North Big Horn County in Cowley, Wyoming
• $51,814 at Dexter Regional in Dexter, Maine

A full list of all grants being awarded is available on the FAA website.

President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes a historic investment in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness by rebuilding America’s roads, bridges and rails, upgrading and expanding public transit, and modernize the nation’s ports and airports.

To date, the Administration has announced over $415 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding for over 46,000 infrastructure projects across the nation, and has mobilized over $640 billion in private sector manufacturing and clean energy investments in the United States.

BlueSky Business Aviation News | 1st February 2024 | Issue #733