Warner, Kaine announce $11.7 million for improvements at Virginia airports

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced today that nearly twenty Virginia airports will receive a total of $11,725,371 in federal funding from the Department of Transportation (DOT)’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airport Improvement Program.

“We are pleased these funds will allow Virginia airports to continue improving their infrastructure and making air travel safer for all Virginians,” the Senators said. “This federal funding will help these airports to expand travel options, increase local tourism, and attract more businesses.”

Airports and project amounts are listed below:

• Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport– $447,742. These funds will help expand the existing terminal apron to 40,000 square yards to accommodate increased use of the terminal facilities.
• Farmville Regional Airport– $382,500. These funds will help reconstruct an existing runway lighting system to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions and rehabilitate 4,400 feet of the runway payment.
• Franklin Municipal-John Beverly Rose Airport– $180,000. These funds will help update the airport master plan narrative report and airport layout plan to address key issues, objectives and goals pertinent to the airport’s future development.
• Front Royal-Warren County Airport– $153,000. These funds will help update the airport master plan narrative report and airport layout plan to address key issues, objectives and goals pertinent to the airport’s future development.
• Leesburg Executive Airport– $130,000. These funds will go towards rehabilitating runway and taxiway lighting to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions.
• Lonesome Pine Airport (Wise, VA)– $303,300. These funds will help construct a 210 foot taxiway to provide access to aircraft hangars.
• Louisa County/Freeman Field Airport– $630,000. These funds will help install a new taxiway lighting system to enhance safe airfield operations during low visibility conditions.
• Lynchburg Regional/Preston Glenn Field Airport– $1,800,000. These funds will help construct a 17,000 square yard general aviation apron to provide aircraft parking for users of the airport and acquire a new passenger loading bridge to improve the efficiency of operations and meet passenger needs.
• Middle Peninsula Regional Airport (West Point, King and Queen, VA)– $200,000. These funds will go toward rehabilitating 4,000 feet of the existing taxiway at the airport.
• New River Valley Airport (Dublin and Pulaski, VA)– $427,787. These funds will help expand the existing general aviation apron to 25,180 square yards to provide additional space for aircraft parking.
• Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport– $400,000. These funds will help construct a 6,100 foot service road to enable the safe movement of vehicles and ground service equipment.
• Richmond Executive-Chesterfield County Airport– $1,053,000. These funds will help remove non-hazard tree obstructions from a runway in order to meet Federal Aviation Administration design standards.
• Richmond International Airport– $675,000. These funds will help construct a 5,200 foot taxiway to enhance aircraft movement on the airfield.
• Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional/Woodrum Field Airport– $1,068,850. These funds will help rehabilitate 26,450 square yards of the existing general aviation apron to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement.
• Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport– $506,692. The first grant of $232,632 will help conduct an environmental study of impacts of proposed projects identified on the airport’s layout plan and five-year capital improvement plan. The second grant of $274,060 will help reconstruct 40 of the existing airfield guidance sign fixtures.
• Stafford Regional Airport– $1,260,000. These funds will help extend 6,000 feet of an existing runway at the airport.
• Twin County Airport (Galax, Hillsville and Carroll, VA)– $180,000. These funds will go towards updating the airport master plan strategy and airport layout plan to address key issues, objectives and goals pertinent to the airport’s future development.
• Warrenton-Fauquier Airport– $1,150,000. These funds will help reconstruct 1,100 feet of the existing taxi lane pavement.
• Winchester Regional Airport– $277,500. These funds will help meet operational needs of the airport by supporting demolition efforts and the relocation of new taxiways.
• Commonwealth of Virginia– $500,000. In addition, Virginia will receive funds to conduct a statewide obstruction study to evaluate existing obstructions at six airports.

The funding was awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program within the Department of Transportation (DOT). The program supports projects that improve airport infrastructure. Warner and Kaine have long fought for funding for Virginia’s airports and pushed back against the Trump Administration’s suggested budget cuts to DOT to ensure that critical upgrades like these can happen. The Senate is expected to consider a long-term FAA reauthorization measure in the coming weeks that would provide increased funding certainty to allow for further aviation infrastructure investment.