FAA Upgrades Airports Across Missouri, Kansas
The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded more than $523 million to airports across 43 states, including several in Missouri and Kansas, to modernize infrastructure, improve safety and make air travel more efficient for families, the Department of Transportation said in a May 28 statement.
The Missouri and Kansas projects include runway lighting, taxiway work, master plan updates, runway reconstruction and other airport improvements. Kansas City International Airport was not listed among the May 28 project grants, although MCI received more than $12.4 million earlier this year through FAA airport infrastructure formula funding.
The funds were disbursed through 332 grants and are to be used to upgrade terminals, improve aprons and taxiways, support the rehabilitation of runways and make other investments in airfields, the department said.
In Missouri, the latest round includes $675,000 for Kansas City Downtown/Wheeler Field to reconstruct runway lighting; $1.13 million for Joplin Regional Airport to construct a service road; and several Springfield-Branson National Airport projects, including fuel farm, hangar and pavement-management work. St. Louis Lambert International Airport also received $8.41 million for passenger boarding bridges.
In Kansas, the grants include $712,500 for Olathe Johnson County Executive Airport to update its airport master plan; $803,674 for New Century AirCenter in Olathe to update its master plan; $2.59 million for Topeka Regional Airport for taxiway and lighting reconstruction; and $1.31 million for runway reconstruction at Hays Regional Airport. Other Kansas airports listed in the funding round include Abilene, Anthony, Burlington, El Dorado, Liberal, McPherson, Newton, Parsons, Pittsburg, Pratt and Wichita’s Colonel James Jabara Airport.
The $523 million funding comes from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program, part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Commenting on the investment, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, “Upgrading our runway infrastructure is part of our work to usher in the Golden Age of Transportation.”
“American families deserve state-of-the-art runways and infrastructure that will make their travel experience safer, smoother, and more efficient.”
The FAA has also invested $970 million across U.S. airports to improve the travel experience for American families, the DOT said in a May 18 statement.
These funds were disbursed to 45 states via 133 grants through the Airport Terminals Program, which also is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Funding will be invested in family spaces, including mothers’ rooms, restrooms, and play areas,” the department said.
The Trump administration’s investments in the country’s aviation sector come amid concerns about aging infrastructure that could pose safety risks.
Last year, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey experienced a series of critical communication outages due to issues with the FAA’s aging telecom infrastructure.
More recently, in March, a fatal collision took place between a fire truck and an Air Canada regional jet at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport after a critical runway warning system failed to trigger an alarm before the accident.
During a House subcommittee hearing in March last year, Heather Krause, managing director of physical infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office, said that an FAA evaluation found major issues with America’s air traffic control systems.
“Of the 138 systems, 51 (37 percent) were deemed unsustainable by FAA and 54 (39 percent) were potentially unsustainable,” Krause said.
“Many unsustainable and potentially unsustainable systems have critical operational impacts on the safety and efficiency of the national airspace.”
By Naveen Athrappully | The Epoch Times | and Metro Voice
