WASHINGTON, D.C. — Reps. Darin LaHood (IL-18) and Rodney Davis (IL-13) announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded four local central Illinois airports with funding to invest in various projects ranging from runway rehabilitation, the purchase for ground operation equipment, and expansion of passenger terminals. Statements from the Congressmen, as well as details of the awards are below:
“Today is a great day for our local airports across central Illinois. With the latest awards from the U.S. Department of Transportation, these three local airports across central Illinois will have the ability to reconstruct runways, purchase new equipment to make ground operations smoother and safer during inclement winter weather, and expand a passenger terminal to improve the flow of passengers,” stated Rep. LaHood. “Air travel is a key economic driver for our local communities and I applaud the USDOT for their continued commitment to investing in our local transportation projects to help make travel safer, as well as more effective and efficient.”
“Investing in our infrastructure is a critical part of growing our economy and that’s exactly what these grants will accomplish,” said Davis. “These four regional airports are essential to bringing economic opportunity to central Illinois and these grants will allow them to make necessary upgrades to improve service and safety. As someone who frequently flies in and out of central Illinois airports, I understand how important these continued investments are and I know my constituents will benefit greatly from these improvements.”
Description of the awards:
Central Illinois Regional Airport - $991,773
This project acquires one new and one replacement high-speed runway broom to keep the airport serviceable during snow periods and aid in the efficiency and safety of operations.
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport - $1,995,173
This project expands the terminal building to approximately 6,100 square feet to meet Federal Aviation Administration design standards and enable efficient movement of passengers. Earlier this year in June, both LaHood and Davis announced that the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport received $4.6 million in terminal upgrades. This grant is being increased from $4,628,998 to $6,625,171 and will allow for the final phase of upgrades to be completed.
Logan County Airport - $1,153,190
This grant includes discretionary funding for Logan County Airport to rehabilitate Runway 3/21
Decatur Airport - $1,567,562
This grant includes discretionary funding for Decatur Airport to rehabilitate Runway 6/24
