Drew Zimmerman
QUINCY — U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood, R-Peoria, announced Thursday that the Quincy Regional Airport would be receiving an $8 million grant courtesy of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.
The federal relief will help fund the airport’s $35 million runway project, which consists of the reconstruction of the airport’s 7,100-foot-long primary runway, the removal of the airport’s third runway surface and parallel taxiway and the reconstruction of an additional taxiway.
Airport director Sandy Shore said the grant will help cover the second phase of the project. She added that staff had been hoping for a grant of this size to cover project expenses for the next couple of years.
“We plan as though the funding will always be there but we never really know so when the grant announcement comes through, we get very excited and very appreciative for the federal government, our representatives in Congress, the FAA and everybody in between,” Shore said.
Airport staff broke ground on the project in early May. Shore said the project will be broken up into three or four phases with the first phase scheduled for 174 construction days.
“We’re still trying to get everything lined up and hopefully we’ll get through as much as we can this summer still,” Shore said. “And then moving forward, (we’ll) get through Phase 2 next summer and hopefully in a couple years from now, we’ll be cutting a ribbon instead of breaking ground.”
LaHood said in a news release that the Quincy Regional Airport is a vital part of the transportation system and supply chain of west central Illinois.
“Improving the runway will allow the airport to focus on other aspects of their facility and expand their services,” LaHood said in the release. “In Congress, I will continue to work to support local infrastructure projects that add jobs and stimulate our economy in Illinois.”
The project is being funded by a combination of a federal, state and local funds. About 95% of the total costs will be covered by state and federal dollars.
