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KDOT announces airport funding

Jan. 29, 2007 (07-030)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Contact: Steve Swartz, (785) 296-3585

KDOT announces airport funding

Twenty-four projects have been selected to receive safety and service enhancements through the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Airport Improvement Program.

The projects will address maintenance, geometric improvement and facility and equipment needs at non-primary public use airports. These are airports that are classified as having fewer than 10,000 passenger boardings a year.

“This program has made major improvements to Kansas aviation,” said Secretary of Transportation Deb Miller. “It has contributed significantly to the health and economic well-being of Kansas and the many communities that have received grants.”

Recognizing the importance of air service to the Kansas economy and emergency health care services, KDOT established the Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) in 1999 with funding authorized as part of the Comprehensive Transportation Program (CTP).

“This is a program designed to stretch state dollars by requiring participation from local communities. Including this year’s projects, which will be for fiscal year 2008, KDOT has provided approximately $27 million to help fund more than 200 projects,” Miller said.

Under guidelines of the program, project sponsors are required to pay a minimum of 10 percent of the total project costs or a maximum of 50 percent of the total project cost based on population.

Before passage of the CTP, Kansas was the only state in the country that didn’t provide state funding for airport improvements. Miller said that commerce, air ambulance service, agriculture and law enforcement have been key beneficiaries of the airport improvement program.

The following is a list of the FY 2008 airport improvement projects.

• Beloit – Automated weather information system;
• Coffey County – Runway repair and markings;
• Colby – Two projects – Taxiways and ramp repairs, and markings;
• Comanche County – Ramp repair;
• Ellsworth – Two projects – Automated weather information system, and runway and taxiway resurfacing and ramp expansion;
• Fort Scott – Replace beacon and upgrade automated weather information system;
• Harper – Runway resurfacing;
• Hoxie – Repair and resurface runway, taxiway and ramp;
• Leoti – Runway and taxiway repair and remarking;
• Lyndon-Pomona Lake – Runway reconstruction;
• Meade – Automated weather information system;
• Montezuma – New runway;
• Neodesha – Airport layout plan;
• Osborne – Runway resurfacing;
• Russell – Beacon;
• St. Francis – Resurface and remark runway and taxiway;
• Sublette – Improve turnaround, taxiway and ramp, and drainage improvements;
• Syracuse/Hamilton County – Two projects – Runway and taxiway improvements, and automated weather information system;
• Trego County/WaKeeney – Replace lights, upgrade wiring;
• Wamego – Repair runway and relocate road;
• Wichita Westport – Repair, resurface runway.

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This information can be made available in alternative accessible formats upon request.
For information about obtaining an alternative format, contact the Bureau of Transportation Information,
915 SW Harrison St., Rm 754-S, Topeka, KS 66612-1568 or phone 785-296-3585 (Voice) (TTY).