In its latest round of airport infrastructure grants, the Federal Aviation Administration is providing more than $2.1 billion for hundreds of runway, taxiway and other projects across the country. The full list of grants can be found here.
The grant awards, which the FAA announced on September 6, constitute the fifth round of grants from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP). These grants are not funded by the Employment and Infrastructure Investments Act.
A highlight of the latest round of awards is that it includes the FAA’s first AIP grant to test technologies to reduce, mitigate and eliminate contaminants found in firefighting chemicals, such as film-forming foam. aqueous film, which includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the so-called “forever chemicals” that have been found to be harmful to human health.
Of the total, $1.9 billion comes from the AIP and will go to 519 grants in 48 states, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
The other $269 million is for additional discretionary grants, which will fund 62 projects at 56 U.S. airports.
Five Biggest Awards
The largest award in this round is $55.1 million to Tucson International Airport to replace or reconfigure Runway 11/29.
Second at $43 million is Deadhorse Airport in Alaska, to build drainage and erosion control features as well as install wildlife perimeter fencing.
Chicago O’Hare International ranks third, with a total of $39 million in grants to extend and widen a taxiway.
Fourth place with $37.3 million is California’s Monterey Regional Airport, to build a terminal and apron, rehabilitate a runway and acquire a rescue and firefighting vehicle.
Colorado’s Grand Junction Regional Airport receives $32.6 million for grading and drainage work to replace a runway.
The three airports receiving a combined $5.4 million to test PFAS remediation are San Luis Obispo County in California, Nantucket Memorial in Massachusetts and Pellston Regional in Michigan.
Shannetta R. Griffin, FAA’s associate administrator for airports, said in a statement, “This funding helps ensure the safety of travelers, reduces environmental impacts on communities and builds more resilient airports nationwide.”
Some airports are using grant funds for sustainability-related projects, such as St. Louis/Lambert International, Muskegon County in Michigan and Salt Lake City International and Fort Wayne International in Indiana.
