Shelby Announces $10.4 Million Grant for Huntsville International Airport
July 29, 2019
**Huntsville International Airport is forwarding this release by Senator Richard Shelby.
WASHINGTON (Sen. Shelby) — U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today announced that six airports in Alabama will receive a total of $14,344,107 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants. The grants range from $10,426,057 for Huntsville International Airport to $59,290 for Florala Municipal Airport and are awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to support airport infrastructure improvements.
“It is evident that the Department of Transportation is committed to investing in local airports across our state, and I am grateful for the Administration’s efforts to improve safety and efficiency at these airports,” said Senator Shelby. “This $14.3 million in FAA grants will allow for infrastructure advancements that will benefit Alabama and promote our aviation industry for years to come.”
► Huntsville International Airport in Huntsville, Alabama, is receiving $10,426,057 in grant funding to rehabilitate a runway and an apron, to reconstruct taxiway lighting and airfield guidance signs, and to rehabilitate and construct a taxiway.
► Chilton County Airport in Clanton, Alabama, is receiving $1,905,492 in grant funding to extend the airport’s runway.
► Enterprise Municipal Airport in Enterprise, Alabama, is receiving $1,460,000 in grant funding for the construction of a taxiway and the reconstruction of an apron.
► Jack Edwards National Airport in Gulf Shores, Alabama, is receiving $403,470 in grant funding to rehabilitate lighting on an airport taxiway.
► Lanett Municipal Airport in Lanett, Alabama, is receiving $89,798 in grant funding for an updated master plan study to determine the long-term development plans for the airport.
► Florala Municipal Airport in Florala, Alabama, is receiving $59,290 in grant funding for an updated master plan study and the rehabilitation of an airport runway.
These FAA grants are funded through the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and federal appropriations. Senator Shelby is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, which authors and advances FAA and DOT funding legislation. The funding distribution is based on both entitlement and discretionary awards.
“We are grateful to Senator Richard Shelby for his continued contributions to our industry and specifically for his support of this funding which will be used for needed improvements to Huntsville International Airport’s taxiway e that is parallel to our 10,000 foot east runway”, said Rick Tucker, Huntsville International Airport Chief Executive Officer. “The east runway at HSV is the second longest runway in the Southeast United States and impacts not only our passenger and cargo operation in Huntsville, but this entire region of the country since we often receive diversions from other airports. These necessary improvements insure that both of our parallel runways will remain operational and give us the ability to continue economic development initiatives within our region that positively impact our entire state.”
The rehabilitation of the east taxiway includes milling and paving. It also covers the replacement of lighting and signage which will improve safety and efficiency at Huntsville International Airport. Lighting and signage were last updated in 1993. This project is scheduled to begin August 15th.
“Huntsville was recognized as the fastest-growing metro area in Alabama and is on track to become the state’s largest city in the next five years” said Dr. Carl J. Gessler, Jr, M.D., Huntsville International Airport Board Chairman. “In the past decade, more than half of the jobs in the state have been created in Huntsville so as our city grows it is imperative for the airport’s infrastructure to be able to keep up. We are grateful to Senator Shelby for his understanding of this and work to support funding at airports across the state as well as in Huntsville.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), under DOT, oversees the AIP grant distribution program.
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