Wicker, Hyde-Smith Praise Award of $15.57 Million for Improvements to Local Airports

Press Release

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today marked the award of $15.56 million in grants to make improvements at 22 Mississippi airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awards include a $4.97 million for the Louisville-Winston County Airport and $3.86 million for the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, as well as $671,881 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to cover the local match requirement so that airports can access the federal funds without spending local dollars.

"These grants will help many airports in our state to improve safety and plan for the future," Wicker said. "With additional support from the recently-enacted CARES Act, our airports will be able to move forward on projects that will help them weather the coronavirus outbreak."

"Local airports are important to the wellbeing of Mississippi communities, particularly in rural areas. These FAA grants, including major awards for Winston County and the Golden Triangle Region, will fund projects to make these airports operate more efficiently," Hyde-Smith said. "For a majority of these grantees, I'm thankful that CARES Act funding will eliminate nonfederal cost-share requirements. The budgets of our cities and counties are already taking hits because of COVID-19, so the extra FAA funding can help ease those burdens."

The Louisville-Winston County Airport and Golden Triangle Regional Airport awards are funded through supplemental congressional funding appropriated in 2018.

The remaining 20 FAA grants include full reimbursement for the local match requirement as a result of the CARES Act. This will enable local airports to access the federal funds without spending local dollars that may not be available because of lower-than-expected revenues during the coronavirus outbreak.

The $15,567,034 in FAA grants for Mississippi will support the following airport improvement projects:

Louisville-Winston County Airport -- $4,979,177 to reconstruct runway and improve airport drainage and erosion control
Golden Triangle Regional Airport -- $3,868,977 to rehabilitate runway
Hawkins Field Airport -- $894,444 to rehabilitate taxiway and to reconstruct perimeter fencing and taxiway lighting, and $153,833 to conduct a study
Kosciusko-Attala County Airport -- $666,667 to improve the fuel farm and install perimeter fencing
Cleveland Municipal Airport -- $571,347 to seal the runway pavement surface
Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport -- $531,111 to improve the terminal building and $282,888 to conduct a study
Waynesboro Municipal Airport -- $461,313 to improve airport buildings and reconfigure existing taxiway
Ripley Airport -- $406,840 to install navigational aids and reconstruct runway lighting
Hardy-Anders Field Natchez-Adams County Airport -- $327,100 to rehabilitate runway and taxiway
C. A. Moore Airport -- $303,488 to install navigational aids and to reconstruct the airport beacon and taxiway lighting
Fletcher Field Airport -- $297,777 to reconstruct the airport beacon and seal the taxiway pavement surface
Calhoun County Airport -- $278,000 to construct a terminal building
John Bell Williams Airport -- $222,222 to remove obstructions to the runway
Thigpen Field Airport -- $166,666 to rehabilitate runway
Belzoni Municipal Airport -- $166,666 to reconstruct runway lighting
Greenwood-Leflore Airport -- $166,666 to seal apron pavement surface
Indianola Municipal Airport -- $166,666 to support construction on the hangar
Yazoo County Airport -- $166,666 to construct apron
McComb/Pike County/John E. Lewis Field Airport -- $164,500 to acquire land for approaches and conduct a study
Hesler-Noble Field Airport -- $151,520 to conduct an airport-related environmental assessment
Copiah County Airport -- $102,500 to acquire land for approaches
Ruleville-Drew Airport -- $70,000 to update airport master plan

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