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FAYETTEVILLE – In its May meeting, the N.C. Board of Transportation approved state and federal grants for projects to bolster the economy and improve safety at nine North Carolina airports.

Nearly $13.6 million in state and federal funding has been granted for projects that will help these airports grow, such as new hangar sites and updated safety lighting.

About $4.1 million of that funding will go to Statesville Regional Airport to construct a new aircraft parking apron and car parking lot, from a specific NCDOT Division of Aviation fund for economic development projects. A tenant at that airport that flies NASCAR teams and their families to races across the country has grown twice as fast as expected, and this project is the first step to moving them to a new facility that will meet their current and future needs.

“This will also open up new land for future tenants who may be looking to locate at our airport, and help us keep pace with growth in the region,” said John Ferguson, Statesville Regional Airport’s manager. “This will keep good, well-paid jobs here in Statesville and help attract more opportunities in the future.”

The projects the N.C. Board of Transportation approved are:

$291,600 to install a new Precision Approach Path Indicator light system at Anson County Airport,
$70,862 for costs associated with land acquisition at Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Southport,
$1,593,000 in additional funding for apron rehabilitation at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport,
$1,075,570 for the development of a site for T-hangars to store small, private aircraft at Duplin County Airport,
$560,000 in additional economic development funds towards site development for a fixed-based operator and maintenance facility at Johnston Regional Airport,
$270,000 for the design of a partial parallel taxiway for Runway 23 at Lumberton Regional Airport,
$306,000 in additional funding to remove underground fuel tanks and install a new above-ground system at Rockingham County Airport,
$3,500,000 in funding from the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program to construct a taxiway and hangars at Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport,
$4,112,600 in economic development funding for a new apron and aircraft parking area, and $1,800,000 to install lights on the new eastside parallel taxiway and put in a new lighting vault for future expansion at Statesville Regional Airport.

North Carolina airports serve as a vital economic engine connecting people and business enterprises with the world, and are among the primary economic drivers in their communities. Airports and aviation-related industries contribute more than $52 billion to North Carolina’s economy each year, according to the 2019 State of Aviation report. They support 307,000 jobs, generate more than $2.2 billion in state and local tax revenue and provide more than $12.6 billion in personal income.

The funds awarded do not necessarily represent the total cost of the project.