Lehigh Valley airport to get $5 million for improvements
Lehigh Valley International Airport will receive $5 million in federal funds for improvements to its terminal connector, state officials announced Thursday morning.
The money comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, specifically an award from the Airport Terminal Program, a competitive grant, according to a news release from U.S. Sen. Bob Casey.
“The Lehigh Valley is one of the fastest growing regions in Pennsylvania and we need to ensure the region’s infrastructure is able to keep up,” Casey said. “When I visited the Lehigh Valley International Airport this past March, I got to see the progress the airport is making on the terminal connector and the new TSA checkpoint for incoming passengers.”
The project at the Hanover Township, Lehigh County, airport includes a screening checkpoint to address capacity limitations and insufficient space to accommodate existing passenger volume and the necessary security screening equipment, according to the release.
Thomas R. Stoudt, executive director of the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, said the authority appreciates the support needed to get the money.
“The TSA Checkpoint/ Terminal Connector project at ABE certainly achieves all of the goals set forth by the ATP program,” Stoudt said in a statement. “Replacing aging infrastructure and increasing passenger capacity remains critical for us to meet current and projected air travel demand in the Lehigh Valley region.
“The new checkpoint elevates the customer experience through a more expedient passenger screening process, while the new energy-efficient terminal connector improves passenger access and while delivering a more streamlined route from ticket counter to takeoff.”
So far this year, LVIA has received more than $11.5 million from the federal government.
The grant announced Thursday is part of $5 billion for airport projects that was included in the infrastructure bill. Two other airports in Pennsylvania received the funding.
Philadelphia International Airport will get $24 million for terminal improvements, including additional restrooms and support for the installation of smart and touchless technology.
The Pittsburgh International Airport also was awarded $20 million toward the construction of a new 700,000-square-foot landside terminal.