University Park Airport will receive $1.9 million in federal Airport Infrastructure Grant funding, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced on Thursday.
The funds are part of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law by President Joe Biden last month. The State College-area airport is one of 62 Pennsylvania airports receiving more than $70 million.
“Our commonwealth’s airports connect us to each other and the rest of the world,” Casey said in a statement. “These investments will help stimulate local economies and create jobs across Pennsylvania. I’m proud to say this is just the beginning of infrastructure funding coming to Pennsylvania—over the next few years, we can expect billions of dollars more that will strengthen our communities and our economy.”
University Park Airport will receive the sixth largest grant, behind Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“We were excited to hear that news here today and are grateful for that funding and the efforts of Senator Casey,” University Park Airport Director Bryan Rodgers said.
Airport officials began developing a list of potential projects for the funding when they learned it would be part of the bill and next will next consult with the Federal Aviation Administration on guidance for which specific projects are eligible. As with previous federal grants, Rodgers said, the funds can generally be used for projects that are safety-related — such as pavement and taxiway improvements — or expand capacity.
“We’ll review those projects we have on our list with the FAA and work together on that,” Rodgers said. “My list is fairly extensive. We always have more needs than funding is available.”
Additional funding for Pennsylvania airports is expected in years to come as a result of the bipartisan infrastructure bill, Casey said.
