09.03.15

Hoeven Reviews Progress on Minot's New Airport, Downtown Construction Projects

Senator Worked to Secure Funding for Both Projects

MINOT, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven along with Minot Airport and city leaders today reviewed progress on Minot International Airport’s new terminal building and other important construction projects at the airport. The senator also reviewed a multi-million dollar downtown construction project designed to replace aging and damaged infrastructure from the 2011 flood.

In total, Minot will receive approximately $32 million in federal funding to fund the airport project and $23 million to finance infrastructure improvements to the city’s downtown.

“The new airport and downtown construction represent important new projects the city needs to replace badly damaged infrastructure in the flood. Kudos goes to city and airport planners, merchants and the people of Minot for all their hard work to make Minot a great place to live and work.”

Minot International Airport

The $75.6 million airport project includes a new terminal building, apron, snow removal building and parking lot. Hoeven worked to secure nearly $32 million dollars in federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding for the project and also worked with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta to ensure the project had the funding necessary to reach completion.

The new terminal, which will be triple the size of the current terminal, will mean room for more aircraft, more space for travelers, improved passenger screening, better parking and other amenities to make air travel more comfortable and convenient. The terminal can also add additional gates in the future to accommodate further growth in boardings. Aircraft operations in the new building will begin at the end of February 2016.

Downtown Infrastructure Project

The $30 million Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project will be completed during the three consecutive construction season. Nearly $23 million of the project cost, or 75 percent, was federally funded. Hoeven worked to secure $18 million in federal Economic Development Administration (EDA) supplemental disaster grants and $5 million in community development block grant (CDBG) disaster recovery funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The project will replace miles of water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer pipes, concrete paved streets, curb and gutter, sidewalks, and street lighting within roughly 26 city blocks of Downtown Minot. Much of this aging underground infrastructure is between 75 and 100 years old. The project will also replace trees, benches and other aboveground elements that make up the streetscape within the city’s right-of-way downtown.

Since the flood of 2011, Hoeven has worked to bring more than $650 million to the city and region in grants, loans and direct assistance. That includes more than $117 million in CDBG funding and $20 million in EDA disaster grants.

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