Duluth seeks $14 million state match to leverage federal tower replacement funds

Officials from Duluth International Airport told the Capital Investment Committee they seek $14 million in state funds to replace a 70‑year‑old air traffic control tower and leverage a federal competitive grant that would cover most eligible costs.

Tom Warner, executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority, said the airport’s mix of military jets, research flights, general aviation and commercial service makes a modern tower “vital to aviation safety.” Warner testified the airport serves Cirrus Aircraft, the Minnesota Air National Guard’s 148th Fighter Wing, MonoCo Air (spoken as Monaco Air in testimony), Lake Superior College’s Center for Advanced Aviation and passenger carriers including Delta, United and Sun Country.

Warner described a federal grant program created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that totals $5 billion nationwide and provides a window to fund locally owned air traffic facilities. He told the committee the replacement tower is a $72,000,000 project; the federal program will reimburse about 95% of eligible costs and Duluth seeks $50,700,000 in federal funding (with $16,000,000 already committed and another federal request of $38,000,000 planned). Duluth asked the state for $14,000,000 to cover federally ineligible work and maximize the federal grant opportunity. Warner also said the project has used MnDOT matching support and the airport has already invested roughly $3,000,000 for studies and design.

Committee members praised the effort and noted the potential to unlock federal dollars. Representative Kozlowski and several members described Duluth as a regional aviation hub and urged the committee to consider the state investment to secure the larger federal contribution. No final appropriation vote was taken at the hearing.