08.18.14

Hoeven Announces More Than $470,000 in DOT Grants for North Dakota Airports

BISMARCK, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded two grants totaling $471,298 to improve North Dakota airports. The DOT grants will be allocated to North Dakota through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Program (AIP) that authorizes grants for the planning and development of public-use airports. A $433,093 grant will be allocated to the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission to study the economic impact of airports in North Dakota and update the State Aviation System Plan to improve aviation throughout the state. A second grant for $38,205 will be awarded to the Cavalier Municipal Airport Authority to widen the existing taxilane and construct a new partial parallel taxiway.

“We have been working hard to improve infrastructure across North Dakota, and these new DOT grants are helping us achieve our goal of updating our state’s airport so they can meet the demands of the increasing number of businesses and individuals who rely on them to accomplish the work that is driving our state’s economic growth,” said Hoeven.

Hoeven serves as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, where he has been working to support programs, such as AIP, that invest in infrastructure and other services to meet the needs of North Dakota’s growing population and commerce.

Hoeven and Senator Heidi Heitkamp also hosted FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to North Dakota this spring so he could see the unique aviation challenges impacting western North Dakota.