Eight Maine airports awarded $3.5M in federal money

Courtesy / Biddeford Municipal Airport Biddeford Municipal Airport has been awarded $369,000 in federal money to reconstruct 3,011 feet of an existing runway. It is among nine grants to Maine regional and municipal airports announced on Wednesday.

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By Staff

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded close to $3.5 million in combined funding for eight smaller regional and municipal Maine airports through the Federal Aviation Administration, it was announced on Wednesday.

Via nine separate grants for eight facilities, the money will cover expenses from snow removal equipment to the building of runways and other infrastructure as detailed below.

“Maine’s regional airports are an essential piece of our transportation network, linking communities to other parts of the state, the country, and the world,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in a news release.

Collins chairs the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

She added: “By helping to improve the efficiency and safety of operations, these investments will allow these airports to continue to serve as a transportation option and support job creation in rural parts of our state.”

Details of each grant

$950,950 for Presque Isle International Airport, to buy snow removal equipment.

$488,700 for Millinocket Municipal Airport, to acquire snow removal equipment and conduct a wildlife hazard assessment.

$369,000 for Biddeford Municipal Airport, to support the reconstruction of 3,011 feet of the existing Runway 6/24 pavement that has reached the end of its useful life. This grant funds design and permitting. In May, Biddeford Municipal Airport was awarded $7.5 million through the FAA's Airport Improvement Program.

$369,000 for Wiscasset Municipal Airport, to remove obstructions.This funding will support the removal of tree obstructions from the Runway 7 approach surface. It will cover the first phase of the project, which consists of acquiring one aviation easement for Runway 7.

$320,310 for Eastern Slopes Regional Airport, to construct a 10,000-square foot hangar building to help the airport generate revenue and become as self-sustaining as possible.

$304,380 for Lincoln Regional Airport to reconstruct 2,805 feet of the existing Runway 17/35 pavement that has reached the end of its useful life. This grant funds the first phase, which consists of the design and permitting.

$246,150 for Bethel Regional Airport to revamp its apron and runway.

$231,476 for Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport to rehabilitate apron and runways.

$110,229 for Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport to conduct an environmental study. The study will look potential environmental impacts related to the proposed obstruction removal project, easement acquisition project, and construction of a snow removal building.

$100,800 for Greenville Municipal Airport to conduct a survey of Runway 32 to evaluate existing obstructions.