HARRISBURG – Governor Tom Corbett announced Wednesday an $18 million state and federal investment will improve safety and operations at 35 Pennsylvania airports that support more than 2,600 jobs. “Pennsylvania’s public-use airports support more than 300,000 jobs,” Corbett said. “When we expand a runway or make it safer to land at an airport, we ensure that they can meet business and community demands and continue supporting these jobs.”
The state portion of funding – $904,981 from PennDOT’s aviation development program – comes from the state’s jet fuel tax and leverages $904,981 in local matching funds. The program complements the new Multi-Modal Fund, created by Act 89, which dedicates $5 million to aviation in this fiscal year alone. In November, Corbett signed Act 89, a far-reaching transportation program that clears the way for significant investments in all transportation assets.
The Federal Aviation Administration is providing $17.1 million in grants through the block grant program, which is funded through taxes collected nationally on airline tickets, freight waybills, international departure fees, and the sale of aviation fuel. Airports receive up to 90 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 service airports (those with fewer than 10,000 annual passengers) that are part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems.
Beaver County:
Beaver County Airport — $376,041 to remove obstructions and acquire snow removal equipment.
Zelienople Municipal Airport — $150,417 to install visual glideslope indicators to assist pilots in landing.
Bedford County: Bedford County Airport — $316,666 to acquire land and rehabilitate the airport’s weather observation system.
Bradford County: Bradford County Airport — $960,555 to acquire land and construct a taxiway.
Bucks County:
Doylestown Airport — $50,139 to remove obstructions.
Quakertown Airport — $447,530 to remove obstructions.
Butler County: Butler County Airport — $1.3 million to acquire land, widen a taxiway and study the feasibility of expanding the runway.
Cambria County: Ebensburg Airport — $227,110 to install navigational aids to assist pilots in landing Chester County: Brandywine Airport — $158,333 to study the feasibility of acquiring a precision approach that helps increase access and safety during poor weather conditions.
Chester County/G.O. Carlson Airport — $2 million to remove obstructions and complete apron construction.
New Garden Flying Field — $1.2 million to reconstruct and widen the runway.
Clarion County: Clarion County Airport — $300,833 to remove obstructions. Clearfield County: Clearfield-Lawrence Airport — $467,993 to rehabilitate an apron and seal cracks in the pavement.
Clinton County: William T. Piper Memorial Airport — $389,500 to rehabilitate taxiways and an apron.
Columbia County: Bloomsburg Municipal Airport — $158,333 to update the airport’s master plan.
Crawford County:
• Port Meadville Airport — $316,666 to repave the runway.
• Titusville Airport — $237,500 to seal the airport pavements.
Elk County: St. Mary’s Municipal Airport — $455,004 to remove obstructions and acquire snow removal equipment.
Fayette County: Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport — $231,166 to rehabilitate runway lighting and conduct environmental wetland monitoring.
Indiana County: Indiana County/Jimmy Stewart Airport — $354,666 to remove obstructions and complete a runway extension.
Jefferson County: Punxsutawney Municipal Airport — $381,250 to construct a taxiway turnaround.
Lawrence County: New Castle Municipal Airport — $601,667 to rehabilitate the runway and taxiway lighting.
Luzerne County:
• Hazleton Municipal Airport — $50,139 to remove obstructions.
• Wilkes-Barre/Wyoming Valley Airport — $121,875 to design a taxiway.
Mercer County:
• Greenville Municipal Airport — $451,250 to rehabilitate runway lighting.
• Grove City Regional Airport — $150,417 to remove obstructions.
Mifflin County: Mifflin County Airport — $76,000 to replace obstruction light and airport weather observation system.
Monroe County: Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport — $381,056 to update the airport’s master plan.
Montgomery County:
• Pottstown Municipal Airport — $1.7 million to rehabilitate the runway.
• Wings Field — $494,527 to rehabilitate an apron.
Schuylkill County: Schuylkill County/Joe Zerbey Airport — $1.4 million to rehabilitate taxiways.
Snyder County: Penn Valley Airport — $288,800 to design a terminal apron.
Somerset County: Somerset County Airport — $376,833 to remove obstructions and complete apron rehabilitation design.
Venango County: Venango Regional Airport — $752,083 to install a generator, conduct an environmental assessment and improve drainage.
Washington County: Washington County Airport — $686,110 to evaluate and remove obstructions.