5 Idaho airports to receive $8.2 million for infrastructure improvements

The following is a news release from the Federal Aviation Administration.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced Friday that the Department of Transportation will award $8.2 million in airport infrastructure grants to five airports in the state of Idaho.

With this announcement, the Trump Administration has invested a historic $10.8 billion in more than two thousand American airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure improvements since January 2017.

“The robust economy is enabling more passengers to travel by air so this Administration is investing billions of dollars in America’s airports which will address safer airport operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

Today, Secretary Chao announced that five Idaho Airports will receive $8.2 million of Airport Improvement Program grants for:

• Buhl Municipal Airport, two separate grants, one for $630,000 to build a taxiway and another for $270,000 to repair a taxiway
• Gooding Municipal Airport, two separate grants, one to for $300,000 to build a taxiway and another for $1 million to extend the runway
• Pocatello Regional Airport, $1,409,100 to repair an apron
• Lemhi County Airport in Salmon, two separate grants, one for $1 million to expand the apron and another for $1,166,409 to rebuild an apron
• Joslin Field–Magic Valley Regional Airport in Twin Falls, $2,500,000 to build a taxiway

This is part of a $485 million federal investment in America’s airports that Secretary Chao announced today.

The Administration not only supports infrastructure through funding – it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements more quickly. The Department is working hard to streamline the approval process, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicative regulations that do not contribute to safety.

These investments and reforms are especially timely because the U.S. economy is robust, growing by 2.8 percent in the first half of 2019. Employers have added more than 6 million jobs since January 2017. The unemployment rate is still a remarkable 3.6 percent—the lowest in 50 years.

Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than 5% of U.S. gross domestic product; $1.6 trillion in economic activity; and nearly 11 million jobs.

See a complete listing of grants here.