WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today that the Department of Transportation will award $6.8 million in airport infrastructure grants to three airports in the state of Oklahoma. With this announcement, the Trump Administration has invested a historic $10.8 billion in more than two thousand American airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure improvements since January 2017.
“The robust economy is enabling more passengers to travel by air so this Administration is investing billions of dollars in America’s airports which will address safer airport operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
Today, Secretary Chao announced that the following airports in Oklahoma will receive $6.8 million of Airport Improvement Program grants:
•Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport - $3 million to expand a terminal building.
• Will Rogers World Airport - $3 million to reconstruct an apron.
• Shawnee Regional Airport - $765,000 to rehabilitate a runway.
This is part of a $485 million federal investment in America’s airports that Secretary Chao announced today.
The Administration not only supports infrastructure through funding – it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements more quickly. The Department is working hard to streamline the approval process, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicative regulations that do not contribute to safety.
These investments and reforms are especially timely because the U.S. economy is robust, growing by 2.8 percent in the first half of 2019. Employers have added more than 6 million jobs since January 2017. The unemployment rate is still a remarkable 3.6 percent—the lowest in 50 years.
Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than 5% of U.S. gross domestic product; $1.6 trillion in economic activity; and nearly 11 million jobs.