114 U.S airports to be awarded $970 million in grants by Biden-Harris Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is awarding $970 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Investing in America agenda to 114 airports across the country.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is awarding $970 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Investing in America agenda to 114 airports across the country, spanning 44 states and three territories. This announcement, which Secretary Buttigieg will make as part of the Administration’s Investing in America tour, delivers on President Biden’s commitment to rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure while lowering costs for families, creating good jobs, and advancing opportunity for all Americans.

Why is the funding being launched?

The funding helps meet the growing demand for air travel and launches projects that will improve passenger experience, accessibility, and sustainability while creating good-paying jobs. Investments enhancing the passenger experience include new baggage systems, larger security checkpoints, increasing gate capacity, and modernising aging infrastructure throughout terminals and ground transportation. These investments further increase terminal sustainability and improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Nine grants will address the needs of aging air traffic control towers. 

 “Under this administration, we are doing more to improve the travel experience than ever before, from expanding consumer protections to modernising the physical infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These investments we’re announcing…made possible by President Biden’s historic infrastructure package, will make it easier for passengers to get to and through airports, create jobs, and increase safety for all.”

“(The) funding not only helps modernise airports to meet the needs of travellers today and for years to come but also creates good-paying job opportunities in communities both large and small,” said FAA Associate Administrator for Airports, Shannetta R. Griffin, P.E.

Airports awarded grants to expand terminals

These awards are on top of the nearly $2 billion for U.S airport terminals announced over the past two years. The vast majority of these terminal projects are under construction.

Many grants contain an element that will build new or expanded terminal facilities. Among them are:

• $35 million to Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia: this award funds a portion of the construction of a 14-gate, 400,000 sq. ft. terminal building including connections to the Aerotrain and Metrorail.
• $20 million to Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah: this award funds a portion of the Concourse B terminal expansion that will include 16 gates.  
• $10 million to Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota: this award funds a portion of the rehabilitation and expansion of the existing terminal. Rehabilitation includes upgrades to lighting, reconfiguration and expansion of hold rooms, and improve Americans with Disabilities (ADA) compliance. Expansion includes four new gates for a total of nine, increasing hold room space, expanded ticketing/baggage handling, expanded restrooms and post-security concessions. 

Airports awarded grants to improve passenger experience 

Many grants contain an element that will improve the passenger experience by improving security-screening areas, providing faster and more reliable baggage systems, and increasing accessibility for passengers with disabilities. Among them are:

• $40 million to Chicago O’Hare International Airport in Illinois: this award funds improvements to Terminal 3 to include increasing the central passenger corridor width, a reconfigured TSA checkpoint, new hold room, a new ADA compliant and family restroom, and updates to the baggage system. 
• $26.6 million to Denver International Airport in Colorado: this award funds a portion of the baggage handling system replacement, including the control system. In addition, the new system will improve energy efficiency and increase capacity. 
• $8.6 million to Kahului Airport in Hawai‘i: this project funds the construction of a new two-story security screening checkpoint facility at the south end of the ticket lobby (South TSA Checkpoint). The facility will include six new TSA screening lanes. A pedestrian bridge will connect the new checkpoint facility to hold room A and will span over the existing service road.
• $7.5 million to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky: this award funds a portion of the Terminal A security screening expansion project, which consists of adding four screening lanes to the security checkpoint.
• $2 million to Spokane International Airport in Washington: this award funds up to two additional ticket counters and passenger boarding bridges, and portions of the HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing upgrades, shared use & hearing-impaired technology, smart glass, solar energy connection, baggage handling systems, and other considerable ADA improvements.
• $1.5 million to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska: this award funds the installation of 110 audio and visual monitors and stations throughout the terminal to better serve the passengers. 

Airports awarded grants to improve roadways

Many grants will increase access to other modes of transportation or improve roadways for U.S airports. Those include:

• $31 million to Los Angeles International Airport in California: this award funds two areas of the Auxiliary Curbs at ITF West and ITF East which includes a combination of new, extending, widening, and utility improvements of surrounding roadways. This also includes underground Low Impact Development (LID) storm water containment systems. 
• $8 million to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida: this award funds a portion of the reconfiguration and expansion of the terminal access and curbside roadways.
• $7 million to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in Louisiana: this award funds construction of the foundation for the North/South Connector Road’s north phase. The foundational piling operations will provide structural resiliency to withstand future climatic events, which have deteriorated the soil and created environmental concerns in past years. The new road will connect the airport’s North and South terminals and will link the terminals to the airport’s upcoming multimodal transit facility that has passenger rail service.

Airports awarded grants to renovate  

Nine grants are awarded to airports to refurbish their airport owned airport traffic control towers. Among those are: 

• $10 million to Duluth International Airport in Minnesota: this award funds the relocation of an Airport Owned Airport Traffic Control Tower, a non-standard tower commissioned in 1963. The project includes design, project formulation, site preparation, line of sight obstruction removal, and other related actions.
• $5.4 million to Martin State Airport in Middle River, Maryland: this award partially funds a new Airport Traffic Control Tower that has reached the end of its useful life.
• $4.5 million to Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas: this award funds approximately 25% of the construction costs of a new sponsor owned Airport Traffic Control Tower. This project replaces the existing tower that has an identified line of sight impediment, is not ADA compliant, and has structural integrity issues. Funding for this phase focuses on the foundation and base of the tower construction.

Airports awarded grants to further sustainability 

Many grants contain an element that will increase terminal sustainability. Among them are: 

• $31 million to San Francisco International Airport in California: this award will replace critical mechanical and electrical components (VFDs, fans, dampers, actuators, control valves, sensors, and other associated elements) of the HVAC system at the International Terminal. Replacing these components will improve fire-life safety compliance, reduce energy usage, reduce maintenance costs, and improve resilience.
• $27 million to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina: this award funds the replacement of up to 16 Passenger Boarding Bridges and associated Ground Power Units and Pre-Conditioned Air units. 
• $3.4 million to Appleton International Airport in Wisconsin: this award funds the Expansion and Modernisation Project that includes a four-gate concourse expansion and will include a 60,000 sq. ft. expansion increasing the number of gates to 10.  This award will partially fund the final phase of the concourse expansion project, including Passenger Boarding Bridges, a solar and sustainability programme, and mechanical equipment.

Airports awarded grants to promote social responsibility 

Several grants contain an element that will go to improving airport access in smaller communities. Among them include:

• $10 million to Punta Gorda Airport in Florida: this award funds a portion of the terminal rehabilitation and expansion project, which includes renovating the security checkpoint and adding public circulation, hold room, and restroom space. 
• $6.5 million to Presque Isle International Airport in Maine: the airport will construct a new terminal to replace the existing undersized terminal. The new terminal will be ADA compliant, include appropriate life safety upgrades, and improve energy efficiency. This award will fund the early stages of the project, including construction of the superstructure and building enclosure. 
• $700,000 to Standing Rock Airport in Fort Yates, North Dakota: this award funds construction of a new general aviation terminal building. There is no current terminal building, or other protective structures, for pilots to get out of the elements. The airport is used for recreational activity along with flights for medical emergencies and delivery of hospital and emergency staff to the area.