09.26.19

Sen. Cantwell announces $2.7M grant for runway extension at Auburn Municipal Airport

Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that Auburn Municipal Airport in Auburn will receive a $2,708,343 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for a runway extension project.

The money comes in addition to $150,000 the airport will receive from the program’s mandatory funding commitments.

The AIP funding will go toward the airport’s runway expansion project, extending the airport’s total runway length to 4,118 feet to increase capacity and improve safety. It will also support stormwater management improvements.

On Aug. 6, the Auburn City Council approved the city’s application for $3.1 million in FAA grant funds to put toward the project. The grant covers 90 percent of the construction cost.

Cantwell has long supported the AIP and helped airports throughout Washington state receive funding through the program. Cantwell secured full funding for the AIP in last year’s landmark five-year reauthorization of the FAA. From 2013-2018, Washington state airports received more than $478 million in grants from the program.