26 Facilities To Receive Federal Funding
The major recipient of the funding,
as you might expect, is the state's largest airport. The Chicago
Tribune reports that Des Moines International plans to use a
significant portion of its grant money for land acquisition for a
runway project that was started more than 6 years ago.
That new runway, which will parallel the airports- existing main
runway, represents one of the "shovel ready" projects favored for
federal stimulus money.The full cost of the construction is
estimated at about 57 million dollars, with up to 95 percent of
that coming from federal sources, according to the report.Airport
spokesman Roy Crist said the new runway, which replaces one closed
following a previous construction project, will allow simultaneous
takeoffs and landings.
"The first effect is it will increase efficiency and capacity
and the second effect is you increase safety because we can
separate the smaller, slower planes from the bigger, faster
planes," he said. "The FAA has agreed that we need to get that
runway back."
An additional $2.4 million has been
allocated for Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, and other,
smaller airports have received funding for a variety of things like
runway extensions, taxiway improvements, hangar construction, and
general facilities improvements.Among those is one thing we'll
never have to worry about at ANN HQ in Florida ... snow removal
equipment. Iowa Senators Tom Harkin and Charles Grassley, a
Democrat and Republican respectively, agree on the need to maintain
the state's air infrastructure.
"Maintaining a quality airport is important to the economic
health of a community, because the availability of a nearby airport
is a valuable asset that can help draw new businesses," Harkin said
in a news release announcing the funding.
"This funding will help improve safety and service at Iowa's
local airports and help provide important economic development
opportunities for the communities," Grassley said
General Aviation airports are also dependant on federal and
state funding for improvements.The Iowa Department of
Transportation reports state funding for nine projects at General
Aviation airports around the state this fiscal year totaling nearly
$1.5 million, as well as 8 commercial airport projects with a price
tag of more than $13.6 million, and 22 "Airfield and Security"
projects adding up to almost $2 million.