Six Montana airports will share more than $25 million in federal grants to fund a range of safety and infrastructure improvements, the office of Rep. Ryan Zinke announced, with the largest single award going to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport for a taxiway extension project.
The grants come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and will fund upgrades to runways, taxiways, aprons, lighting, drainage, and access roads at airports in Hamilton, Deer Lodge, Missoula, West Yellowstone, Polson, and Bozeman.
“Infrastructure is a taxpayer investment, not merely an expense,” said Zinke, who sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation. “These critical investments will help maintain and improve aging and overlooked infrastructure and ensure air transportation across our state can keep operating safely and efficiently.”
The largest award, $7.56 million, will allow Bozeman Yellowstone International to extend Taxiway B by approximately 7,100 feet, a project the FAA said is needed to accommodate growing aviation demand and bring the facility into compliance with current design standards. Bozeman’s airport has seen some of the fastest passenger growth of any regional airport in the country in recent years.
Missoula Montana Airport will receive $3.4 million to rehabilitate roughly 9,500 feet of Taxiway A and reconstruct signage and pavement on Taxiway H, work intended to reduce foreign object debris hazards and extend the service life of the airfield. The Yellowstone Airport in West Yellowstone will use its $651,000 award to resurface approximately 2,725 feet of the terminal access road, a key corridor for airport operations near one of the country’s most visited national parks.
The smallest grant in the package, $119,000 to Polson Airport, will fund construction of roughly 11,920 feet of perimeter fencing and ten access gates, bringing the facility into compliance with federal aviation security standards.
The AIP grant program, administered by the FAA, distributes federal funds to public-use airports for capital improvements that preserve or enhance safety, capacity, and efficiency. Zinke’s office did not disclose the total amounts awarded to the Hamilton and Deer Lodge airports, which are also included in the package.
By: DNU staff