LAWRENCE, Kan. — A U.S. Department of Transportation aviation grant announced Wednesday will help land new business at the Lawrence Municipal Airport.
The $3.6 million grant from the federal government will be added to $400,000 from the city of Lawrence. Combined, the money will be used to refurbish the main runway.
It’s part of $14 million worth of grants for the state’s airports.
Its welcome news for pilots who travel through there everyday.
"To have this coming into focus is very exciting,” pilot Nelson Krueger said.
Krueger has been flying for more than 50 years and said the 5,700-foot runway needs some attention.
"We do need to resurface our runway and they do take a lot of the abuse during the winter and snow and salt,” Krueger said.
The upgrade will be an added boost to the city’s only airport.
"It’s going to be safer for the airplanes to come in and out and also it’s going to be a little more aesthetically pleasing,” Amber Shultz, general manager of Municipal Services for the city of Lawrence, said.
Flights are mostly for people coming to Lawrence for business or University of Kansas fans coming back for games. There are no commercial flights coming into the airport.
The city said the improved runway will help attract more flights and land more business opportunities.
"More people we can bring to the city and help them see the beauty of the city is better, just get those dollars into our economy and get things invigorated that way,” Josh Carson, spokesperson for Municipal Services Operations for Lawrence, said.
The new runway and other improvements to the airport could even help lure KU athletics to fly through this airport instead of Topeka.
"That would be great we would be really open and welcoming to that idea that KU base all their flights out of this airport,” Shultz said.
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) made the announcement Wednesday, stating in a news release that airports are “vital” to the region.
“These grants will help fund needed repairs and expansions to multiple Kansas airports to continue providing efficient service to Kansans and continued development throughout the state,” Moran said in the release.
The city expects construction to start late this summer and to be completed within two months.
