NDOT Announces $17.36 million in Federal Grants for Airport Improvements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently announced that $17,362,302 million in federal grants were awarded to seven Nebraska airports, in Ainsworth, Burwell, Norfolk, North Platte, Scottsbluff, Sidney, and Wayne, according to the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT).

This second round of FY 2023 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants included $12,132,000 to rehabilitate the runway at Scottsbluff’s Western Nebraska Regional/ William B. Heilig Field and $2.939,220 to reconstruct the taxiway at the North Platte Regional/Lee Bird Field.

AIP grants will provide a portion of funding to build new hangars at four airports: Ainsworth Regional – $553,980, Burwell Cram Field – $235,540, Sidney Municipal/Lloyd W. Carr Field – $451,562, and Wayne Municipal/Stan Morris Field – $450,000. The balance is being funded with other federal grants and local funds. Additional funding included $600,000 to the Norfolk Regional/Karl Stefan Memorial Field to install runway lighting, airfield guidance signs and runway vertical/visual guidance system.

“We’re happy to be able to partner with the FAA Central Region in Kansas City to get this essential grant funding to our airports,” said Ann Richart, AAE, Director of the Aeronautics Division of NDOT. Our partnership includes lining up the appropriate grant funding, assisting the sponsor (airport) in applying for the grant, and working with the FAA to send grant funds to the airport as their project progresses. NDOT looks forward to working with the FAA in the future to ensure that our communities will be able to make maximum use of these federal grant funds. We also want to thank our members of Congress for their support.”

AIP projects promote safety, efficiency, environmental stewardship, infrastructure, and security at the nation’s airports.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.