Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport was awarded a total of $3,316,790 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant funds to rehabilitate the first 1,000 feet of Runway 30 Center, the Airport’s main air carrier landing runway. The project includes the demolition, removal, and replacement of the existing concrete pavement surfaces, construction of cement-treated base, installation of new runway edge lights, signs, and new pavement markings.
Construction is expected to begin August, 2015.
The FAA grant requires an 8.94% match divided between the Arizona Department of Transportation and the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority.
Town of Queen Creek Mayor and Airport Authority Board Chairman Gail Barney adds, “Gateway Airport generates over $1.3 billion in economic impact annually. The Airport continues to do an excellent job in managing its capital programs and maximizing its financial sustainability. We appreciate Congressman Matt Salmon’s leadership in securing these funds.”
The announcement means contractors will be able to reconstruct deteriorating concrete resulting from years of heavy commercial aircraft operations.
The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is a federal grant-in-aid program that represents a major source of funding for airport development and planning. Funding is supported from user fees, fuel taxes and other revenue sources. Each fiscal year, the FAA apportions Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds into major entitlement categories. The FAA distributes the remaining funds to a discretionary fund. Airports throughout the nation compete for discretionary funding to help finance capital improvement projects. The FAA distributes these funds to projects that best carry out the purpose of the AIP, with highest priority given to safety, security, reconstruction, capacity and standards