Two local airports will be receiving large amounts of state funding to help pay for improvement projects.
The Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township will receive $250,000 to make improvements to the administration building, including enhanced access for those with disabilities. An additional $450,000 will go towards rehabilitating taxiways and constructing an access road on the south side of the airport.
The Butler Farm Show Airport in Connoquenessing will receive $67,500 for pavement repairs and re-marking.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the approval of $13.7 million in grant funding on Wednesday, which will be used to make infrastructure and equipment upgrades at 29 Pennsylvania airports.
“Investments in our aviation infrastructure is vital to the economic vitality of the commonwealth,” Governor Wolf said in a statement. “Hundreds of thousands of jobs are supported by aviation in Pennsylvania and the new investments announced today will help airports bolster commerce and attract more customers.”
As of April 2019, Pennsylvania ranked 13th in the country in the number of public-use aviation facilities with 127 airports, heliports, and seaplane bases. Funded through PennDOT’s Aviation Transportation Assistance Program, Aviation Development Program, and the Multimodal Fund, the new investments will infuse new state investments to expand aviation-related operational and economic opportunities statewide.