DOT doles out $90m in airport improvement grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation released more than $90 million among Federal Aviation Administration grants to six airports to make improvements to runways, taxiways and aprons.    The U.S. Department of Transportation on Friday released more than $90 million among Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants to six airports to make improvements to runways, taxiways and aprons.
   The airports are located in Alabama, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, Tennessee and Wyoming.
   Those that received grants include:
     • Huntsville International Airport (Alabama) – $9.6 million for site preparation and drainage improvements for a near half-mile segment of taxiway that connects to the cargo aircraft parking area.
     • Kansas City International Airport (Missouri) – $19 million to reconstruct about 9,000 feet of Taxiway B, which has reached the end of its useful life.
     • Bismarck Municipal Airport (North Dakota) – $13.5 million to fund the first phase of a three-phase project to reconstruct a portion of a runway.
     • Portland International Airport (Oregon) – $11.6 million to reconstruct about 3,300 feet of taxiway.
     • McGhee Tyson Airport (Tennessee) – $27.9 million for the third phase of a five-phase project to reconstruct Runway 5L-23R.
   In fiscal year 2016, the FAA issued 1,768 new grants to airports. The DOT’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) provides more than $3 billion in annual funding for projects that maintain the safety, security, capacity, efficiency and environment of the nation’s airports. According to DOT, more than 3,300 U.S. airports are eligible for AIP grants benefiting passengers and cargo operations, as well general aviation activities.