PHOENIX – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced more than $28 million for Arizona airports under the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), including a $10.5 million grant for taxiway rehabilitation at the heavily traveled Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
“This Administration is committed to getting the U.S. economy going again and these grants are part of making that happen,” said Secretary LaHood. “We are creating jobs here in Arizona while investing in the long-term safety and economic vitality of our airports.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will pay for improvements to Taxiway C, a major taxiway on the airport’s north side. The project includes replacing asphalt with more durable concrete, as well as installing new pavement marking, lighting and signs. Phoenix Sky Harbor served about 40 million passengers last year.
Secretary LaHood said the following Arizona airports will also receive ARRA funding.
- Tucson International Airport will receive $1.85 million for installing new security equipment.
- Sierra Vista Municipal Airport in, Sierra Vista, Arizona, will receive $6 million to rehabilitate Runway 12/30.
- Kingman Airport in Kingman Arizona will receive $5 million to rehabilitate aircraft parking aprons.
- Taylor Municipal Airport in Taylor Arizona will receive $3.5 million to rehabilitate a runway.
- Avi Suquilla Airport in Parker, Arizona will receive $1.8 million to rehabilitate two taxiways.
About 3,400 airports designated as part of the national airport system are eligible to receive Recovery Act funds. The FAA is moving swiftly to work with airport sponsors to ensure that eligible projects have completed, or nearly completed, design and planning requirements.
Under the Recovery Act, the FAA received $1.1 billion for qualified airports on a discretionary basis. That funding will be allocated based on a project priority system that addresses airport safety and security, infrastructure, runway safety, increased capacity, and mitigation of environmental impacts.
Secretary LaHood said the Obama Administration is committed to getting ARRA money into the economy as quickly as possible. He noted that President Obama signed the ARRA into law on February 17, less than one month after taking the oath of office. Less than two weeks later, on March 3, LaHood joined President Obama and Vice President Biden at an historic announcement at the U.S. Department of Transportation to mark the release of $26.6 billion to the states and localities for highways, roads and bridges. The release of funds came eight days earlier than required by law.
On March 5, Secretary LaHood joined Vice President Biden and Miami Mayor Manny Diaz to announce the availability of $8.4 billion for transit infrastructure. On March 12, Secretary LaHood announced that Pittsburgh International and Allegheny County Airports had received the first funding allocations for airport infrastructure projects, and on March 13, Vice President Biden announced that DOT made $1.3 billion available to Amtrak for capital and security improvements.
Secretary LaHood noted that in early February, prior to the passage of the ARRA, he had established a team within the Department of Transportation to ensure that economic recovery funding is rapidly made available for transportation infrastructure projects and that project spending is monitored and transparent.
