The Federal Aviation Administration announced July 31 that airports in Monterey, Napa and Watsonville are among those that will receive grants as part of the fourth allotment of the Airport Improvements Program.
The FAA will award $478 million in airport infrastructure grants to 232 airports across the country, including over $2.7 million to Monterey Regional Airport for runway safety area improvements, $397,753 to Watsonville Municipal Airport for runway and taxiway repairs, and $280,673 to Napa County Airport to reconstruct a taxiway.
There are an additional 19 California airports among the recipients, bringing the state to a grand sum of $23.5 million in federal airport improvement grants.
“This significant investment in airport improvements in California will fund construction and rehabilitation projects that will help maintain high levels of safety in U.S. aviation,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said in a news release.
Besides enhancing the safety at the selected airports, the construction and renovation projects will promote economic growth in the regions served by those airports, according to the FAA.