Governor Rendell Announces $13.8 Million Investment in 32 Airports

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- An investment of $13.8 million in federal and state funds will help 32 Pennsylvania airports make upgrades and enhance safety, Governor Edward G. Rendell announced today.

"Aviation is a $12 billion industry in Pennsylvania, and investments in our airports pay dividends in job creation and economic growth," Governor Rendell said. "Each dollar we invest helps the airports stay safe and improves their service and infrastructure. The funding also helps to sustain jobs, including those at the airport and businesses supplying the materials for the improvements."

The state portion of funding – $886,765 from PennDOT's aviation development program – comes from the state's jet fuel tax and leverages more than $544,677 in local matching funds.

The Federal Aviation Administration is providing nearly $13 million in grants through the block grant program, which is funded through taxes collected nationally on airline tickets, freight waybills, international departure fees, and sale of aviation fuel. Airports receive up to 95 percent of eligible project costs for projects included in Pennsylvania's 12-year transportation program.

Public-use airports in the state are eligible for the aviation development program. Airports eligible for the federal block grant program include: general aviation airports, designated reliever airports, and non-primary commercial airline airports (those with fewer than 10,000 annual passengers) that are part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.

There are nearly 290,000 people employed in the aviation industry statewide, representing approximately 5 percent of the workforce. The state has 133 public-use airports and heliports and 14 airports have scheduled commercial service.

For more information, visit www.dot.state.pa.us or call (717) 783-8800.

Editor's Note: Following is a list of airport improvement grant recipients, the amount of funding, and a brief description of the projects:

Beaver County

• Beaver County Airport -- $250,575 to design a rehabilitation project for Runway 10-28.
• Zelienople Municipal Airport -- $243,750 to acquire snow-removal equipment.

Bradford County

• Bradford County Airport -- $419,250 to construct a partial parallel taxiway between aprons.  

Bucks County

• Doylestown Airport -- $292,500 to rehabilitate taxiways and aprons by sealing cracks and repairing pavement, and to remove obstructions from Runway 5-23's approaches and the surrounding pavement and airspace.

Butler County

• Butler County Airport -- $365,625 to update the airport's master plan and acquire snow-removal equipment.

Centre County

• University Park Airport -- $562,500 for site preparation and equipment for the air traffic control tower.

Chester County

• Brandywine Airport -- $487,500 to rehabilitate Taxiway A.  
• Chester County/G.O. Carlson Airport -- $975,000 to construct an apron.  
• New Garden Flying Field -- $1.2 million to acquire an easement for Runway 6-24's primary surface and to construct a parallel taxiway extension.

Clarion County

• Clarion County Airport -- $570,375 to rehabilitate Taxiways A, B and C with a new overlay.  

Clearfield County

• Clearfield-Lawrence Airport -- $48,750 to seal cracks on and re-mark Runway 12-30 and the parallel taxiway.  

Clinton County

• William T. Piper Memorial Airport -- $146,250 to acquire snow-removal equipment.  

Columbia County

• Bloomsburg Municipal Airport -- $1 million for grading and drainage work for an extension and realignment project on Runway 9-27.  

Crawford County

• Port Meadville Airport -- $375,375 to rehabilitate the airport medium intensity runway lights.  
• Titusville Airport -- $146,250 to update the airport master plan.  

Elk County

• St. Mary's Municipal Airport -- $195,000 to remove obstructions to Runway 10-28.  

Erie County

• Corry-Lawrence Airport -- $165,750 to install a Generic Visual Glide Slope Indicator, or aircraft visual guidance system, on Runway 14-32.  

Fayette County

• Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport -- $633,750 to rehabilitate the terminal apron with a new overlay and to construct a security fence.  

Indiana County

• Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart Field -- $790,125 to construct Runway 10-28's extension.  

Jefferson County

• Punxsutawney Municipal Airport -- $195,000 to remove obstructions to Runway 6-24.

Lawrence County

• New Castle Municipal Airport -- $1.7 million to rehabilitate Runway 5-23 and improve the runway safety area.  

Luzerne County

• Hazleton Municipal Airport -- $780,000 to rehabilitate airfield lighting.  
• Wilkes-Barre/Wyoming Valley Airport -- $295,015 for the construction, grading and drainage portion of parallel Taxiway B.  

Mercer County

• Grove City Regional Airport -- $146,250 to seal cracks on Runway 10-28.

Mifflin County

• Mifflin County Airport -- $170,625 to update the airport master plan and to design a hangar taxiway.

Montgomery County

• Pottstown Municipal Airport -- $195,000 for preliminary design to rehabilitate Runway 8-26 and to improve the runway safety area.  

Northumberland County

• Northumberland County Airport -- $360,750 to construct parallel Taxiway A.  

Schuylkill County

• Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey Airport -- $97,500 for the design portion of a pavement rehabilitation project on Taxiways A, B and C.  

Snyder County

• Penn Valley Airport -- $146,250 to address obstructions along extended Runway 17-35, making the airport safer.  

Somerset County

• Somerset County Airport -- $126,750 to rehabilitate the taxiway and aprons with a pavement overlay.  

Venango County

• Venango Regional Airport -- $390,000 to acquire snow-removal equipment.  

Washington County

• Washington County Airport -- $361,546 to install security upgrades and fencing along the North side of the airport.  

Media contacts: Erin Waters, PennDOT; 717-783-8800, or Gary Tuma, Governor's Office; 717-783-1116

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Transportation