RALEIGH – From commercial airports that
are among the world’s busiest to rural airports that support farms and
manufacturers, each is a vital part of a connected transportation
infrastructure. To keep North Carolina moving, the state requires a top-class
system of airports that transports people and cargo while attracting business
investments from all over the world.
To that end, the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of
Aviation has approved state and federal funding for four airports for a total
investment of $13 million, with most of it going to Raleigh-Durham International
Airport.
“Grants such as these make sure we maintain that link between our
state and national and global markets,” said Division of Aviation Director Bobby
Walston. “They keep our 72 public airports safe and able to better serve the
pilots, businesses, and passengers that rely on them.”
The following airports received state funding:
- Burlington-Alamance: $167,000 for a sewer expansion to the east
side of the airfield;
- Curtis L. Brown (Elizabethtown): $265,000 for design, bid and
archaeological study on a new airport industrial park;
- Odell Williamson (Ocean Isle Beach): $33,334 for phase one of a
new perimeter fence;
- Raleigh-Durham International: $12,540,193 for taxiway
rehabilitation.
Airports and aviation-related industries contribute $31 billion to
North Carolina’s economy each year, per a 2016 report. There are 123,400 airport-related jobs in the state. The
Division of Aviation is responsible for state airport and aviation system
planning and development. It also provides funding to communities for
constructing and improving airports throughout the state.
Contact: James Pearce
(919) 812-1685
jpearce2@ncdot.gov