Coastal Airports Approved for Funding

The North Carolina Board of Transportation has approved three coastal airports for state and federal grants for safety and airfield improvement projects.

The board approved 10 airports in all for funding during its meeting earlier this month.

Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Southport will receive $4.3 million in state funds for Phase II of the west apron expansion.

Dare County Regional Airport in Manteo was approved for $2.7 million in additional state funds to acquire land in the Runway 23 Runway Protection Zone.

Odell Williamson Municipal Airport in Ocean Isle Beach was approved for $54,000 in state matching funds to acquire land for the future construction of a parallel taxiway.

More than $9.5 million in state funding has been awarded for various projects that help the airports increase capacity, attract new jobs and businesses to their communities, and improve safety for pilots and passengers. The funds awarded will be distributed by NCDOT’s Division of Aviation, and do not necessarily represent the total cost of the project.

Statewide airports to receive funds are the following:

• $75,000 in additional state funds to install a Precision Approach Path Indicator, or PAPI, at Anson County Airport.
• $500,000 in state funds to clear the Runway 24 approach at Clinton-Sampson County Airport.
• $270,000 in state funds for the design and bidding phase of apron rehabilitation at Charlotte-Monroe Executive Airport.
• $346,500 in state funds to acquire land for an industrial park at Curtis L. Brown Field in Elizabethtown.
• $720,000 in state funds to complete design and environmental work for the repair of the parallel taxiway at Hickory Regional Airport.
• $234,445 in state funds to acquire land for a future parallel taxiway at Mount Olive Municipal Airport.
• $360,000 in additional state funds to complete the design and environmental phase for the existing parallel taxiway relocation at Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem.

North Carolina’s 72 public airports and aviation-related industries contribute more than $61 billion to the state’s economy each year, according to the 2021 State of Aviation report. They support 373,000 jobs, generate more than $2.5 billion in state and local tax revenue, and provide more than $15 billion in personal income.