The City of Hattiesburg will receive a federal grant of $615,600 to make improvements at Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport, one of the 20 state airports included in a $9.77 million package announced Monday.
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, along with Rep. Steven Palazzo, announced the grants will be awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration. All three are Mississippi Republicans.
The Chain Airport grant will be used to extend the taxiway at the airport.
Other Pine Belt airports that received grants were I. H. Bass Jr. Memorial Airport in Lumberton ($223,860 to rehabilitate apron, runway and taxiway) and Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airports ($384,180 for a perimeter fence).
“Mississippi’s airports bring tourism, investment, and greater transportation options to our state,” Wicker said. “These additional federal grants will help airports across Mississippi to expand while improving service, security and safety.”
“This new series of FAA airport improvement grants will support some significant projects, from hubs in Jackson and Gulfport to smaller airports such as Macon and Iuka,” Hyde-Smith said. “I’m pleased these communities are receiving funds to promote safety and economic activities.”
“Our south Mississippi airports that received these grants will be able to improve, maintain, and rehabilitate their facilities,” Palazzo said. “This funding is a smart federal infrastructure investment, and I applaud the Department of Transportation and Secretary Chao for their efforts in awarding these grants.”
The other FAA grants for Mississippi will support the following airport improvement projects:
• Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, City of Gulfport – $2,359,506 to acquire land for development, rehabilitate runway and taxiway, rehabilitate the terminal building, enhance security, and widen the taxiway
• Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority and City of Jackson – $1,649,617 to replace access road guidance signs, rehabilitate the terminal roadway bridge, and update airport master plan study
• Greenville Mid-Delta Airport, City of Greenville – $894,657 to improve airport drainage
• Bruce Campbell Field, City of Madison – $600,000 for runway and taxiway lighting system reconstruction
• Hardy-Anders Field Natchez-Adams County Airport, Natchez-Adams County Airport Board – $521,388 to conduct and aeronautical survey and create an airport master plan study
• Paul Pittman Memorial Airport, Walthall County – $471,489 to rehabilitate runway and apron pavement, install a perimeter fence, and construct a new hangar building
• Hesler-Noble Field, City of Laurel – $369,961 for a perimeter fence
• Copiah County Airport, Copiah County – $315,000 to rehabilitate apron, runway, and taxiway
• Indianola Municipal Airport, City of Indianola – $241,500 to rehabilitate runway
• New Albany-Union County Airport, City of New Albany and Union County – $218,943 to construct a terminal building
• Prentiss-Jefferson Davis County Airport, Prentiss-Jefferson Davis County – $165,252 to runway, and taxiway
• John Bell Williams Airport, Hinds County – $150,000 to conduct a study and construct taxiway
• Tunica Municipal Airport, Tunica County and Tunica County Airport Commission – $150,000 to acquire land for approaches
• Kosciusko-Attala County Airport, City of Kosciusko – $144,000 to acquire land for approaches
• Macon Municipal Airport, City of Macon – $101,340 to rehabilitate apron, runway and taxiway
• Iuka Airport, Tishomingo County – $100,030 to Rehabilitate Runway and Remove Obstructions
• Roscoe Turner Airport, City of Corinth and Alcorn County – $91,996 for drainage improvements
Wicker and Hyde-Smith announced $6.32 million in grants for municipal airports in Mississippi earlier in July.
