Vermont transportation officials outline FY26 aviation budget, prioritize safety, easements and airport repairs

The Vermont Agency of Transportation presented its proposed fiscal 2026 aviation budget to the House Transportation Committee on Jan. 30, 2025, emphasizing safety, FAA partnership and state Transportation Fund (T‑Fund) support for projects at 10 state‑owned airports.

Agency aviation program manager Evan Robinson told the committee that "safety and compliance are the number 1 priorities" guiding the department's budget and project choices, and said the agency is coordinating closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on a five‑year capital improvement plan.

Robinson said the agency is pursuing avigation easements at Bennington after an obstruction study and an environmental assessment; the easements would grant long‑term airspace rights to address tree and other approach hazards. He also described an apron reconstruction project at Bennington that has a FY25 grant, a contract awarded, and construction planned to start in spring and finish in early FY26. He said work will include removing existing pavement, replacing subbase material, tie‑down work, repaving and remarking.

At Rutland, Robinson said the agency will fund ongoing maintenance of the engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) — a federally required runway overrun safety system — and pursue a PAPI (precision approach path indicator) upgrade to restore vertical visual guidance for northbound approaches. He said a roughly $130,000 T‑Fund obligation is currently used to support the federal security agency's (TSA) operations at Rutland in support of Cape Air's Essential Air Service, and that the FAA recently notified the agency that a federal match previously received is no longer available; Robinson said staff will follow up on options to sustain that support.

Robinson described the Northeast Kingdom International Airport terminal replacement, noting a Northern Borders grant covers part of the cost but additional T‑Fund allocation is needed to complete the work; construction is scheduled to begin when spring thaw permits and is expected to be complete in September. He said the agency will also continue easement maintenance work at airports statewide, describing a rotating program of selective cutting and management plans to maintain avigation easements once purchased.

Other airport items Robinson discussed included Middlebury's fuel farm project (construction and tank ordering costs identified at $385,720 for an avgas installation), a new terminal design and environmental assessment at Middlebury in preparation for an Airport Terminal Program (ATP) grant application, Morrisville (Morristown) taxiway and apron expansions and property acquisition and demolition to support future development, and Highgate perimeter fencing and taxiway extension preliminary engineering.

Robinson said the annual FAA state apportionment figure is variable; he cited an approximate state apportionment of $520,000 and a nonprimary entitlement figure used for planning, and cautioned the committee that some numbers referenced in the presentation remain subject to final FAA allocations. He also described operational and administrative T‑Fund requests: a $1.5 million allocation for airport operations to cover maintenance, equipment, snow removal products and vegetation management for the 10 state airports, and a separate administrative payroll allocation to support aviation staff. He noted the agency uses FAA funds where eligible for snow removal equipment and receives FAA airport improvement funds and nonprimary entitlements for construction and pavement maintenance.

Committee members asked about how the agency tracks airport usage; Robinson said the agency is evaluating ADS‑B‑based data collection tools to better estimate operations and transient visits at smaller fields and that Burlington International remains the only towered facility in Vermont with more detailed passenger counts. Lawmakers also raised questions about fixed‑base operators (FBOs) and revenue at airports; Robinson said FBOs collect tie‑down and hangar fees under lease arrangements where they exist, while for unattended state airports tie‑down revenue is not generally collected by the state.

Robinson and John Nunley, the agency's project delivery lead, fielded questions about maintenance obligations that come with easement purchases and the higher FAA standards that can require additional work even after prior construction.

The presentation closed with Robinson offering to provide follow‑up materials, including maps and drone footage for specific airports, and to supply additional detail on the TSA match and FAA apportionment when available.

The committee did not take any formal votes on the aviation budget during the hearing; presentations and questions will inform later budget deliberations and any adjustments the legislature makes to T‑Fund allocations.