new mexico receives funding for more than two dozen airport projects

The Clayton Municipal Airport, located two miles southeast of downtown Clayton, is receiving the largest federal grant sent to New Mexico this summer for the rehabilitation of a runway and miscellaneous navigational aid work from the Department of Transportation.

That money is coming through the department’s Federal Aviation Administration, and is just a part of the more than $23 million in grants that agency is awarding for various airport projects across New Mexico.

Among the other recipients of FAA funding this year is the Clovis Municipal Airport, receiving more than $4.3 million to both reconstruct nearly 20,000 square feet of commercial service apron and rehabilitate some 5,700 feet of runway; and the Albuquerque International Sunport, which is getting more than $4.2 million in grants for the reconstruction of a taxiway.

The Double Eagle II Airport in Albuquerque is receiving $2.6 million for the reconstruction of several taxiways.

All of the other awards range in size between $25,000 and $1.1 million, funding new lighting projects, drainage improvements, and the installation of new perimeter fences, among other projects.

In a statement, New Mexico Senator Tom Udall said the Air Improvement Program grants “enable our airports to update critical infrastructure, expand in capacity, and ensure that New Mexico remains a hub for visitors and business travelers alike.”

Altogether, more than $3.8 billion in Airport Improvement Program funding is being funded through the FAA for some 664 airport facility improvement projects nationwide.

New Mexico airports and airports across the country are eligible for Air Improvement Program grants, depending upon a combination of their capital project needs and activity levels.

By Garry Boulard