The Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Keahole on the island of Hawaii will receive a $49.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration. The funds will be used to rehabilitate runway 17/35 to improve the safety of the facility.

In January, the Hawaii Department of Transportation temporarily suspended operations at the airport to investigate cracks in the runway. Transportation officials said at the time that the state was supposed to resurface the entire 11,000-foot runway that year, but rains caused cracks and eroded the pavement faster. Asphalt cracks were reported again in April, prompting another temporary closure.

The FAA is awarding a total of $566.4 million through 296 grants in 47 states to modernize airports under the bipartisan Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG) bill created by President Biden. This is part of the bill’s total $25 billion for airport and air traffic control infrastructure improvements. AIG funds can be used for airport planning, development, sustainability, terminal expansions, baggage system upgrades, runway safety improvements, and noise abatement projects at eligible airports.

“As Americans fly in record numbers, the Biden-Harris administration is improving our nation’s airports to make travel more convenient for passengers,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The funding we are announcing today, made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure bill, will help airports across the country make the improvements needed to ensure safety, efficiency and sustainability for years to come.”

View a data visualization of funded airports.

“We are helping to keep travelers safe by improving every part of airport operations, from better runway and taxiway configuration to clearer signage, better lighting and improved pavement markings,” said Shannetta R. Griffin, PE, FAA deputy commissioner for airports.

Other airports receiving funding today include:

• $45.4 million to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington: This grant will fund structural, seismic and building services improvements in Hall S to meet design standards.
• $43.3 million at Charlotte/Douglas International in North Carolina: This grant will fund the construction of a de-icing platform, taxiways, aircraft parking, leveling and drainage systems, lighting and signage to meet current FAA standards.
• $34.6 million to Louisville Muhammad Ali International in Kentucky: This grant will fund a 30,000-square-foot expansion of the existing terminal and install a TSA checkpoint, solar microgrid and emergency power generator.
• $20.6 million to Harry Reid International in Las Vegas, Nevada: This grant will fund elevator replacements to improve safety and promote compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• $20.1 million to Hartsfield – Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia: This grant will finance the renovation of taxiways and taxi lanes to improve safety.
• $18.2 million to Sacramento International in California: This grant will fund the reconstruction of a pedestrian walkway to improve safety.
• $13.5 million to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International in Louisiana: This grant will fund a new passenger transport system for the terminal to move passengers more efficiently through the airport.
• $8.2 million to Moline Quad Cities International in Illinois: This grant will finance the expansion of the existing terminal by 1,300 square meters to facilitate the transport of passengers and baggage and to bring the airport up to current standards.

A full list of announced AIG grants is available on the FAA website.

Under the bipartisan Infrastructure Act, about half of the nation’s 3,000 airports have received grants. Airports have already completed projects funded by the bipartisan Infrastructure Act through the Airport Infrastructure Grant Program, including:

• $4.3 million for Asheville Regional in North Carolina: This grant was used to expand a terminal building to meet passenger demand.
• $8.4 million to the Albuquerque International Sunport in New Mexico: This grant created 3,740 square metres of air cargo apron to improve and expand supply chain capacity.
• $24.1 million to San Diego International Airport in California: This grant funded the first phase of construction of a new taxiway to eliminate the need for aircraft to back up on the runway, thereby improving safety and efficiency.

Today’s funding comes from one of three aviation grant programs created by President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill. To date, nearly $9 billion of the total $15 billion in AIG grants has been allocated to airports across the country.

To date, the administration has announced over $461 billion for more than 60,000 infrastructure projects across the country through the bipartisan infrastructure bill and mobilized over $898 billion in private sector investment in manufacturing and clean energy in the United States.