U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao has announced\nthat the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $520.5 million in airport\ninfrastructure grants to 287 airports in 41 states. With this announcement, the\nTrump Administration has invested a historic $11.4 billion to more than two\nthousand airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure\nimprovements since January 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis $520.5 million in federal support to airports across\nthe country will help to keep our nation\u2019s airports in good shape and make air\ntravel a better experience for passengers,\u201d said U.S. Secretary of\nTransportation Elaine L. Chao. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following airports are among the 287 airports receiving\nAirport Improvement Program grants:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 General Mitchell\nInternational Airport – $600,000 to rehabilitate a runway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 State of\nWisconsin – $15.5 million to help fund projects at airports across the state of\nWisconsin <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Dallas-Fort Worth\nInternational Airport – $24 million to construct a taxiway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Reno-Tahoe\nInternational Airport – $31.7 million to reconstruct a runway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Portland\nInternational Airport (Maine) – $5.6 million to construct and taxiway and\nrehabilitate a taxiway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Chicago O\u2019Hare\nInternational Airport – $65 million to construct a runway<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 Des Moines\nInternational Airport – $1.8 million to reconstruct a runway and construct a\nservice road<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Administration not only supports infrastructure through\nfunding \u2013 it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements\nmore quickly. The Department is working hard to streamline the approval\nprocess, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicative\nregulations that do not contribute to safety. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These investments and reforms are especially timely because\nthe U.S. economy is surging. Employers have added more than 7 million jobs\nsince January 2017. To kick off the new decade, a robust 225,000 American jobs\nwere added in January 2020 and the unemployment rate is still a remarkable 3.6\npercent\u2014the lowest in 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to\nthe Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than 5%\nof U.S. gross domestic product; $1.6 trillion in economic activity; and nearly\n11 million jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmerica\u2019s airports provide a gateway to the world for our\ncitizens while at the same time delivering first impressions of the United\nStates to visitors from abroad,\u201d said Federal Aviation Administration\nAdministrator Steve Dickson. \u201cIt\u2019s in our national interest to make them the\ncrown jewel in our transportation system. The Airport Improvement Program\nallows us to do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n