The New Jersey Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the award of 11 Airport Improvement Program grants totaling more than $8.5 million in state funds to support airport safety and improvement projects.
Area projects include:
Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing Township, Mercer County – construct Taxiway D lighting for $1 million: grant amount $900,000, sponsor share $100,00.
Trenton Robbinsville Airport in Robbinsville, Mercer County – airport runway crack repair, design, construction during Phase I for $714,433.30: grant amount $642,989.97, sponsor share $71,443.33.
Somerset Airport in Bedminster, Somerset County – obstruction removal during Phase II for $386,949.10: grant amount $348,254.19, sponsor share $38,694.91
Central Jersey Regional Airport in Hillsborough, Somerset County – runway rehabilitation and airport lighting improvements for $768,739.46: grant amount $691,865.51, sponsor share $76,873.95
Princeton Airport in Montgomery, Somerset County – west tie-down area airport expansion for $671,810.09: grant amount $604,629.08, sponsor share $67,181.01
“General aviation airports not only provide transportation for residents, businesses, and visitors, but also serve as key economic engines for local communities,” DOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said in a statement released Feb. 14. “These grants will improve our public-use airports, so all facets of New Jersey’s multi-modal transportation system are modern and safe.”
Grants are awarded through a competitive process. Projects receiving funds this year include runway rehabilitation, taxiway construction, lighting improvements, obstruction removal, and safety improvements at 11 airports in 8 counties throughout the state.
The grants will be funded solely through NJDOT’s Transportation Trust Fund and Airport Safety Fund, with the state providing 90% of the eligible cost and the remaining 10% covered by the airport owner, according to the statement. By leveraging $8.5 million in state funding, along with the $900,000 in airport contributions, more than $9.4 million worth of work will be done.