Nearly 100 airports across Illinois will receive state funding in the coming months for projects ranging from runways and road relocations to the purchase of mowers and snow removal equipment. The money will come from the $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure plan that was passed by the General Assembly and the governor signed into law in 2019. Another $11.5 million for the projects will be contributed by local sources.
Capitol News Illinois reports that Governor JB Pritzker was recently in Moline to publicize the funding for 96 airports around the state, including $5.6 million for the Quad Cities International Airport. The Quad Cities funding will go toward entrance road realignment and expanding their parking.
"Crucially, these dollars are going first and foremost to projects that might not otherwise be eligible for the full federal funding that they need to finish. The new expenditures will be used for large, small, rural and urban airports."
Governor of Illinois | Gov. JB Pritzker
The state grants range from $36,000 for the Illinois Valley Regional Airport in LaSalle County to acquire a tractor with a flex wing mower to nearly $11.8 million for the Morris Municipal Airport in Grundy County for a crosswinds runway.
A public information officer for the city of Morris, Stan Knudson, said in a phone call that the funding will allow the airport to expand its operations. It currently has a single north-south runway which means that it limits certain aircraft from landing there if the wind is blowing unfavorably. He stated that by adding an east-west runway, it would accommodate more aircraft.
Knudson also stated that funding requests go through the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics.
Senator Sue Rezin was a supporter for the capital plan when it was passed in 2019. The project had been in the works since 2003 but was made possible by the 2019 capital bill funding. Rezin credited the governor and IDOT for approving the plan.
The St. Louis Downtown Airport in St. Clair County will receive $5 million for ramp and taxiway access from the airfield and a jetblast noise mitigation barrier.
The St. Louis Downtown Airport is the third busiest airport in Illinois and was recognized by the IDOT Division of Aeronautics as the 2021 Reliever Airport of the Year. Construction is expected to begin in 2022.
St. Louis Regional Airport in Alton will receive funding for aviation fuel facility improvements and rehabilitating automobile parking lots
Some of the other airports that will receive funding are:
- Cairo Regional Airport near the state's southern tip will receive $309,000 from the state, including $72,000 to acquire snow removal equipment and $237,033 to replace airport lighting
- Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield will receive more than $3 million to rehabilitate its north airport's public parking lot and roadways
- Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport will get $2.8 million, $67,500 of which will go to replacing its rotating beacon and more than $2.1 million towards the construction of a replacement parallel taxiway
- Southern Illinois Airport in Jackson County will see over $1 million, with $252,000 going toward the relocation of Fox Farm Road and $751,000 going to expand the southeast aircraft parking apron
- Aurora Municipal Airport in Aurora will receive $1,305,000 in state funding towards rehabilitating auto parking lots and entrance road
- University of Illinois-Willard Airport in Champaign/Urbana will receive $1,350,000 to rehabilitate general aviation aprons
- Chicago Rockford International Airport in Chicago/Rockford will receive $3,600,000 to construct airport midfield entrance road and utility corridor
- Decatur Airport in Decatur will be receiving $886,500 in state funding for reconstructing North Aircraft T-Hangar access pavements
- Effingham County Memorial Airport in Effingham will receive $3,150,000 in state funding for extending Runway 11-29
- Greater Kankakee Airport in Kankakee will get $1,611,000 in state funding for widening taxiway fillets and relocate Taxiway D
- Joliet Regional Airport in Joliet will receive $688,500 for rehabilitating airport automobile parking lot
- Lansing Municipal Airport in Lansing will get $445,500 for acquiring airport snow removal equipment
The Rebuild Illinois Plan is a multimodal infrastructure package that covers:
- Roads
- Bridges
- Waterways
- Air travel
- Rail
- Bike & pedestrian pathways
According to The Pantagraph, funding for the Rebuild Illinois Plan also includes $33.2 billion to go directly toward transportation in accordance with the state's 2016 "lock box" amendment that requires the state to use transportation related funds for their stated purpose.
The 2019 plan was funded by doubling of the motor fuel tax to 38 cents, a rate that now goes up annually at the inflation rate. Several fees that motorists pay to the secretary of state, including registration fees also increased.
The vertical infrastructure part of the bill which pays for infrastructure improvements on state buildings is funded through revenues resulting from a massive 2019 gambling expansion and an increase on taxes for cigarettes and e-cigarettes.
