HARRISBURG, PA. - Twenty-three airports will make safety upgrades and expand operation opportunities with the assistance of $8.8 million in state investments, Governor Tom Wolf announced.
"Maintaining and expanding opportunities in our transportation system includes the more than 400 airports in our state," Governor Wolf said. "Hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported by aviation in Pennsylvania, and these investments will help them operate safely, expand to meet demands, or attract more growth."
Included in the grants is $5.4 million distributed through the Aviation Transportation Assistance Program, which is a capital budget grant program funded with bonds. The grants leverage nearly $3.6 million in local matching funds. Authorized by the General Assembly, the grants are administered by PennDOT's Bureau of Aviation.
The investments also include $3.4 million in state funding from PennDOT's Aviation Development Program, which comes from the state's jet fuel tax and leverages $1.1 million in local matching funds. Public-use airports in the state are eligible for the Aviation Development Program.
The program complements the state Multimodal Fund, which dedicates $6 million to aviation in this fiscal year alone. The fund was created by Act 89, a far-reaching transportation funding program that clears the way for significant investments in all transportation modes.
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| Pennridge Airport |
Following is a by-county list of approved aviation projects under the programs with the state share:
- Allegheny County: Allegheny County Airport -- $150,000 to rehabilitate airport buildings.
- Beaver County: Zelienople Municipal Airport -- $375,000 to construct a fueling facility.
- Bucks County:
- Doylestown Airport - $2.3 million to acquire property adjacent to the airport to allow for future expansion of the airport's terminal area, including a new terminal building with auto parking, and the northwest T-hangar complex.
- Pennridge Airport - $560,750 to reconstruct an apron, design the reconstruction of the taxiway and to study obstructions to aircraft approaching the airport.
- Quakertown Airport - $150,000 to demolish a 70-year old equipment storage building and construct a new one.
- Butler County: Butler Farm Show Airport -- $135,000 to improve airport drainage, rehabilitate a taxiway and install an access gate and fencing.
- Cambria County: John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport -- $150,000 to complete repairs to existing hangars on the airfield.
- Centre County: University Park Airport -- $713,750 to acquire airport equipment to maintain and operate the airfield and to continue rehabilitating the general aviation apron to bring it into compliance with federal design standards.
- Columbia County: Bloomsburg Municipal Airport -- $200,000 for the final construction phase of the terminal building.
- Crawford County: Port Meadville Airport -- $37,500 to design the future rehabilitation of its fuel farm.
- Lancaster County: Lancaster Airport -- $200,000 to construct three new box hangars to accommodate newer privately owned aircraft based at the airport.
- Lawrence County: New Castle Municipal Airport -- $250,000 to complete expansion of the existing hangar and enhance security by replacing existing fencing and installing new fencing, gates, cameras and camera equipment.
- Lebanon County: Deck Airport -- $90,000 to install a new airport weather observation system that reports current weather conditions to pilots.
- Luzerne County: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport -- $550,000 to rehabilitate the existing parking garage.
- McKean County: Bradford Regional Airport -- $150,000 to replace the existing hangar door and track foundation system to allow for opening and closure for a hangar on the airport.
- Mercer County: Greenville Municipal Airport -- $10,800 to prepare airport hazard zoning ordinances that local municipalities can enact.
- Montgomery County: Wings Field -- $124,995 to remove obstructions.
- Philadelphia: Penns Landing-Pier 36 Heliport -- $328,013 to rehabilitate the seawall below the heliport.
- Venango County: Venango Regional Airport -- $150,000 to acquire airport equipment to replace and augment existing that helps maintain and operate the airport.
- Washington County: Washington County Airport -- $1 million to purchase an existing hangar and office, allowing the county to continue providing essential hangar space and aviation-related office space.
- Westmoreland County: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport -- $375,000 to acquire equipment to remove and prevent ice build-up on aircraft.
- Wyoming County: Skyhaven Airport -- $225,000 to construct a taxiway and rehabilitate hangar ramps.
- York County: York Airport -- $646,875 to rehabilitate the runway.
