08.01.14

Hoeven Announces $10.5 Million in DOT Grant Funding for Minot Airport

Senator to Visit Airport Tuesday for Status Update on Terminal, Runway Construction

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded a total of nearly $10.5 million in grant funding to Minot International Airport to complete its runway and apron project.

The senator announced in May that the airport would receive nearly $9 million in DOT Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants for the project. However, airport authorities found they needed an additional $1.5 million to complete the new apron project in the current construction season and applied to the FAA for another $1.5 million. As of last week, they hadn’t gotten a decision from the FAA and asked Hoeven to intervene. He contacted Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta and asked him to expedite a decision so that the project could be completed this year.

Today, the senator was notified by the Senate Appropriations Committee, on which he serves, that the FAA had acceded to his request for additional funding. DOT, through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), awarded the grant of $1,475,830 to complete the taxiway and new apron construction at the airport, for a total of nearly $10.5 million.

The senator will visit Minot Airport on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 1:00 p.m. CT to see the progress on the new terminal building and review other improvement projects currently underway to improve the infrastructure and functionality of the airport.

“The Minot region is growing at a tremendous rate, with more people traveling into and out of the city every year,” said Hoeven. “This project, along with the new terminal we worked to fund, will provide the resources necessary for people to travel safely and efficiently, I’m looking forward to visiting Minot on Tuesday to see the progress on the new terminal building and other projects currently underway.”

The DOT grants are awarded with funds appropriated by Congress. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hoeven has been working to invest in infrastructure and other services to meet the needs of North Dakota’s growing population and commerce.