Support for Washington’s public-use airports really took off in fiscal year 2015 as the Washington State Department of Transportation leveraged $1.3 million in state money to secure $35.3 million in federal airport aid. The state also received $637,000 from a reallocation in aircraft excise tax fees. (Director of Aviation, Tristan Atkins, shown at right).
WSDOT recently published its quarterly performance and accountability report, the Gray Notebook (pdf 3.9 mb), and notes that airport aid dollars will support grants for 42 pavement improvement, safety, planning and property acquisition projects at 31 public airports. Funds from the excise tax fees will go toward projects like runway rehabilitation, while creating about 64 jobs and helping leverage upwards of $10.6 million of the $35.3 million in total Federal Aviation Administration funds during the 2015-2017 biennium.
“We are extremely pleased with the progress we made and the support we received in the past year,” said WSDOT Director of Aviation Tristan Atkins. “These funds will go a long way in terms of making much-needed improvements to our state airports.”
Other highlights from the Gray Notebook’s annual report on aviation (pdf 3.9 mb) include :
WSDOT conducted 32 (76 percent) of the 42 Airport Master Record inspections scheduled for 2015, with a goal of 100 percent in 2016. WSDOT’s direct involvement in airport inspections provide the agency with a better understanding of aviation system conditions and increased collaboration with airport managers.
WSDOT exceeded its 95 percent goal for aircraft registration compliance in 2015, with 6,847 Washington-based aircraft registered.
To learn more about WSDOT’s performance or to review “Gray Notebook 59” or its condensed “Lite” version, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/Accountability/.
