Press Release

Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Tri-Cities Airport To Receive More Than $1.3 Million In Dot Funding

Jun 26, 2014

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that Tri-Cities Airport will receive $1,359,168 in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). The federal funding will be used to rehabilitate the runway to ensure safer airfield operations at the airport by improving the structural integrity of the pavement and removing foreign object debris from the runway.

“We should always strive to achieve the highest standards of aviation safety, and this funding will support that goal by rehabilitating the Tri-Cities Airport runway and ensuring that the pavement’s structural integrity is safeguarded,” said Senator Schumer.  “Making sure our runways are clear for takeoff is crucial for the safety of all who use the airport.”

“Investing in key infrastructure helps create lasting sustainability in our communities,” Senator Gillibrand said. “The Tri-Cities Airport will use this important investment to rehabilitate one of the airport’s most critical structures, its runway. Once implemented, this project would help ensure safer airport operations for the thousands of passengers that travel through the Tri-Cities airport each year.”

“This federal funding for the Tri-Cities Airport is certainly a welcome addition to a long process in our effort to rehab the airport,” said Mayor John R. Bertoni, Village of Endicott. “It will go from being a deficit to our community to being a positive fund generating part of the village and this becomes somewhat the last piece of the puzzle to continue the successful economic regeneration that we are now experiencing since when we took over 6 years ago.”

The federal funding for the Tri-Cities Airport will be used to rehabilitate the runway to help maintain structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris. These enhancements will help ensure better, safer airport operations.

This funding for Tri-Cities Airport is part of the Airport Improvement Program and is administered by DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Airport Improvement Program provides grants to public agencies for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). Funds obligated for the AIP are drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes, and other similar revenue sources.