Kentucky's 51 airports to get $40.4 million to upgrade runways, taxiways and more

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's airports are getting $40.4 million to invest in upgrades.

In a release, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), said the money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will be "invested in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections and roadway projects."

Kentucky's 51 airports ,including Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport and Bowman Field, will submit proposed projects to the FAA in coming weeks. Priority will be given to projects that increase airport safety, equity and sustainability.

"The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build safer and more sustainable airports that connect individuals to jobs and communities to the world," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the release. "With this new funding, urban, regional and rural airports across the country now can get to work on projects that have waited for years, modernizing their infrastructure and building a better America."

In the first year of the new law, five Kentucky commercial airports will receive funding:

Louisville Muhammad Ali International in Louisville: $13,352,069
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Covington: $13,712,086
Blue Grass in Lexington: $4,107,460
Barkley Regional in Paducah: $1,011,660
Owensboro-Daviess County Regional in Owensboro: $1,012,071

For an interactive map and listing of funding for all Kentucky airports, click here.

According to a release from Kentucky Third District U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, "the Louisville Regional Airport Authority will target the funding for their $400 million terminal and airfield modernization project. This includes mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades to their dated terminal; replacement of passenger boarding bridges; and providing a better experience for passengers."

This is the first of five annual rounds of funding Kentucky airports will receive. The law provides $15 billion over five years for this program. The FAA estimates the backlog of airport modernization and safety projects totals $43.6 billion.