Vance Brand in Longmont is among 405 airports nationwide and seven in Colorado that will receive more than $1.2 billion in airport safety and infrastructure grants from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The grants, announced Tuesday, are funded by more than $1 billion from the Airport Improvement Program and $152 million in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act grants, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“This $1.2 billion federal investment will improve our nation’s airport infrastructure, enhance safety, and strengthen growth in local communities, which is especially important as the economy recovers from COVID-19,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao stated in the release.
The grants will be used for a variety of critical infrastructure and safety projects, according to the release. The projects include purchasing aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment, constructing runways and taxiways, repairing runways and taxiways, installing aircraft lighting and signage, conducting airport master plan studies and installing airport perimeter fencing, according to the U.S. DOT.
The $722,222 awarded to Vance Brand Municipal Airport is designated for erosion control and to improve drainage, according to a list of grant recipients.
“The 434 AIP grants will fund critical airport infrastructure projects around the country,” FAA Administrator Stephen M. Dickson stated in the release.
Other Colorado grant recipients were: Aspen‐Pitkin County/Sardy Field, $388,888; Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport in Broomfield, $337,091; Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, $19,298,147; Denver International Airport, $2,624,934; Grand Junction Regional Airport, $12,921,483; and Gunnison‐Crested Butte Regional Airport, $8,011,760.
