U.S. Transportation Secretary announces $17.6 million grant for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a $17.6 million grant to rehabilitate a runway and taxiway at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

“Investing in our nation’s airports promotes economic growth,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This funding will help the airport make critical repairs to aging infrastructure and keep aircraft moving safely and efficiently through Cincinnati.”

Both Runway 18L-36R and its parallel taxiway Sierra are used extensively by several airlines that rely on Cincinnati as a hub. The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport ranked 11th nationwide in 2011 for cargo. A total of 2.8 billion pounds of cargo landed at Cincinnati, a 16 percent increase over 2010.

“Upgrading airport infrastructure at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International will help maintain a safe and efficient air transportation system for cargo operations as well as passengers,” Acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.

This grant will support rehabilitation of the entire 10,000 foot- long runway, and 1,800 feet of the south end of Taxiway Sierra, which is parallel to 18L/36R. The runway and taxiway are more than 20 years old, and the pavement has reached the end of its useful life. The project is part of the airport’s pavement management program, which is updated annually.

The project will be done in two phases beginning Sept. 1, 2012 and ending Dec. 15, 2013.

Total project cost is $23.5 million with $17.6 million from the FAA’s airport improvement grant program. The Kenton County Airport Board will fund $5.9 million of the project.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport has two other parallel runways and a crosswind runway that will remain open during construction.