Pangborn Not Included in Latest Airport Infrastructure Grant Awards….yet.

Washington airports received $66.7M for safety an capacity upgrades in Airport Infrastructure Grants (AIG).

Pangborn Airport in East Wenatchee was not among the dozen airports to receive a share of the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) funds announced by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell last week.

Two-thirds of the last week's Washington grant funding ($45.4M) went to Sea-Tac Airport. The next largest award at ( $7.3M) went to the Tri-Cities Airport. The other Washington facilities receiving funding were; Anacortes, Auburn, Bellingham, Bremerton, Deer Park, Auburn, Richland, San Juan County, Spokane, Anacortes, and Odessa.

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Director of Airports for Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority (CDRPA), Trent Moyers said the reason Pangborn was not provided an AIG award this cycle is a matter of timing.

"We anticipate receiving a grant offer for our runway rehabilitation project in the next 30-45 days. We’re expecting to receive a grant from the FAA for $17,119,240, which is 95% of the total project cost."

The CDRPA sent a grant application for just over $17.1 million to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but added an additional $1.6 million this April to make the total just over $20.1 million including a five percent contingency.

The runway rehabilitation will require the contractor to mill about 170,000 square yards of existing runway pavement about 4-6 inches deep and replace it with new asphalt, improve infield drainage, and update the airfield lighting vault.  Other improvements include construction of a blast pad on Runway 30, construction of snow plowing pads around existing guidance signs.

Construction is expected to start in July and finish in May 2026 and will require a closure in September for about a month.

The AIG funding awards last week include:

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: $45,400,000
Tri-Cities Airport: $7,366,530
Spokane International Airport: $6,537,017
Orcas Island Airport: $3,153,888
Bellingham International Airport: $2,000,000
Friday Harbor Airport: $834,000
Deer Park Airport: $585,000
Auburn Municipal Airport: $395,125
Richland Airport: $180,500
Anacortes Airport: $137,000
Odessa Municipal Airport: $110,000
Bremerton National Airport: $59,346

Sea-Tac Airport  will use the funds for the Concourse S reconstruction project. This grant funds structural, seismic, and building system upgrades that have reached the end of their useful lives. This grant funds phase 2, which consists of design and pre-construction.

Tri-Cities Airport will receive $7,366,530 for its decade-long terminal expansion project. This grant funds an additional baggage make-up area to accommodate more passengers. This grant funds phase 1, which consists of design and construction.

Other Awards:

Odessa Municipal Airport will receive $110,000 to acquire and install a replacement wind cone navigational aid to provide pilots with critical airfield information. This grant funds phase 2, which consists of construction.

The AIG program was enacted by the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL)nd will provide $14.5 billion nationwide in funding over five years. Sen. Cantwell was instrumental in securing funding for the AIG program and Airport Terminal Program (ATP) in the 2021 BIL.

The infrastructure package provided a total of $25 billion for airport improvements, including $5 billion for the Airport Terminal Program and $15 billion in Airport Infrastructure Grants. In 2023, Washington state airports received nearly $200 million in federal funding through a combination of AIG, ATP, and the Airport Improvement Program. 2024 federal funding topped $133 million.