U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao on Tuesday announced\nthat the Department will award $477 million in airport infrastructure grants to\n264 airports in 44 states, the Pacific Islands, and the District of Columbia.\nThis is the third allotment of the total $3.18 billion in Federal Aviation\nAdministration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for airports\nacross the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInfrastructure projects funded by these grants will advance\nsafety, improve travel, generate jobs and provide other economic benefits for\nlocal communities,\u201d said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Selected projects include runway reconstruction and\nrehabilitation, construction of firefighting facilities, and the maintenance of\ntaxiways, aprons, and terminals. The construction and equipment supported by\nthis funding increase the airports\u2019 safety, emergency response capabilities,\nand capacity, and could support further economic growth and development within\neach airport\u2019s region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airport infrastructure in the United States, with 3,332\nairports and 5,000 paved runways, supports our economic competitiveness and\nimproves quality of life. According to\nthe FAA\u2019s most recent economic analysis, U.S. civil aviation accounts for $1.6\ntrillion in total economic activity and supports nearly 11 million jobs. Under Secretary Chao\u2019s leadership, the\nDepartment is delivering AIP investments for the American people, who depend on\nreliable infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Airports can receive a certain amount of AIP entitlement\nfunding each year based on activity levels and project needs. If their capital\nproject needs exceed their available entitlement funds, the FAA can supplement\ntheir entitlements with discretionary funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of the grant awards include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Des Moines International Airport will receive $4.77 million\nto reconstruct an apron and taxiway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chicago\/Rockford International Airport will receive almost\n$11.3 million to rehabilitate a runway and taxiway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MBS International in Saginaw, Michigan will receive almost\n$4.65 million to construct a taxiway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minneapolis-St. Paul International\/Wold-Chamberlain will\nreceive over $9.7 million to construct a taxiway, improve the runway safety\narea, install taxiway lighting, and install runway incursion marking<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tweed-New Haven Airport in Connecticut will receive over\n$2.7 million for noise mitigation measure for residences within the 65-69 DNL<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Portsmouth International at Pease in New Hampshire will\nreceive almost $13.5 million to reconstruct a runway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Missoula International will receive over $9.2 million to\nconstruct a terminal building<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pullman\/Moscow Regional Airport in Washington State will\nreceive almost $27.5 million to construct a runway, acquire an emergency\ngenerator, and acquire snow removal equipment<\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Diego International Airport will receive over $4.48\nmillion for noise mitigation measures for residences within the 65-69 DNL<\/p>\n\n\n\n