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Craven County accepts $1.82 million FAA grant to advance taxi-lane and terminal projects at regional airport
Summary
The county approved an FAA Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Improvement Grant for $1,818,298 to contribute toward a $6.5 million taxi-lane and apron project in the new Aerospace Development Area and heard updates on terminal and Williams Road runway work.
Craven County commissioners voted July 21 to accept a Federal Aviation Administration Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Airport Improvement Grant of $1,818,298 and authorized the chair to sign the grant documents.
Andy Shorter, director of the Craven County airport, told the board the grant combines remaining FY 2024 allocations with FY 2025 funds and will be applied to construction of a new taxi lane and apron in the county’s recently cleared Aerospace Development Area. Shorter described the taxi-lane and apron project as a roughly $6.5 million construction effort; the FAA grant will be a portion of that total.
Shorter said 55 acres of the development site have been leased and the project will be built in phases. "This particular grant will go right towards that money," he said, referring to the taxi-lane and apron funding.
Shorter also briefed commissioners on terminal improvements: an inline baggage screening system and refreshed airline offices completed as part of a multi-year terminal project, with remaining work expected to finish this fall. He said the airport has upgraded the ticket offices and baggage screening area to improve efficiency and safety for staff and passengers.
On the Williams Road runway realignment, Shorter said the NCDOT-led NEPA planning is in agency review with comments due July 29; if there are no major comments, the draft would move to final and the FAA could issue a Finding of No Significant Impact. He said moving Williams Road and shifting an FAA antenna could effectively recover about 400 feet of usable runway length without adding pavement, improving performance for existing aircraft and enabling safer operations for larger planes.
Commissioners approved acceptance of the grant and related actions by voice vote. Shorter said the county expects to return to the board with additional FAA grants for Williams Road planning and later construction if environmental review and design proceed as expected.
