11 state airports get FAA $5.5M

LR runway grant biggest at $2.3M

Paving widened shoulders and upgrading lighting for one of the two commercial service runways at the state’s largest airport is among $5.5 million worth of state airport improvement grants the Federal Aviation Administration has awarded, the the Arkansas congressional delegation announced Monday.

The $2.3 million runway-work grant awarded to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field is the largest of the grants awarded to 11 airports.

The amount could change depending on construction costs, Shane Carter, the airport spokesman, said. Bids for the project on Runway 4R-22L, the eastern- most runway at the airport, are to be open Thursday, he said.

“The shoulders, which are currently turf, will be upgraded to either asphalt or concrete for the full length of the runway, which is 8,250 feet,” Carter said in an email. “The selection between asphalt or concrete will be based on a benefit cost analysis.

“The addition of paved shoulders will improve safety by providing a more durable surface adjacent to runway pavement, improve

drainage, provide a more clear and visual target for pilots on approach, enhance snow removal activities and minimize runway closure time for mowing and other maintenance.”

The lighting upgrade involves “new edge lighting fixtures for the entire length of the runway,” Carter said. “The existing lighting is original. It

has become difficult to find replacement parts.”

Both projects are expected to begin in August and will take about 100 days to complete, he said.

The second-largest grant went to Bentonville Municipal Airport/Louise M. Thaden Field, which will receive $1.5 million to build a taxiway alongside its 4,400-foot long runway.

“Local airports are valuable assets for communities across the state,” the delegation

said in a statement announcing the grants. “This critical funding will provide our airports with the resources they need to upgrade safety features and support economic growth and development.”

The other airports receiving funding, the amount and their upgrades are:

■ Magnolia Municipal Airport, $338,531 to construct a runway and install lighting systems.

■ Morrilton Municipal Airport,

$312,848 to rehabilitate the runway.

■ Bearce Airport in Mount Ida, $232,696 to rehabilitate the apron.

■ Ozark- Franklin County Airport in Ozark, $168,891 to construct a taxiway.

■ Kirk Field Airport in Paragould, $161,511 to acquire 8 acres of land. An additional grant of $ 180,000 will be used to conduct a master plan study to show current and future needs of the airport.

■ Drake Field Airport in Fayetteville, $135,000 to widen the taxiway.

■ Hope Municipal Airport, $90,000 to conduct a study to identify solutions to improve airport drainage.

■ J. Lynn Helms Sevier County Airport in De Queen, $ 82,581 to rehabilitate the apron.

■ Dexter B. Florence Memorial Airport in Arkadelphia, $49,500 to conduct a study to identify options for improving drainage on the airport.