WASHINGTON — Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids a grant of $15,850,000 for the reconstruction of its primary east/west runway and associated taxiways.

"Airports must meet the demand for quality facilities and air service," said Levin. "This funding means that Gerald R. Ford International Airport can continue its impressive capital improvements program to the benefit not just of the airport, but the entire region."

Gerald R. Ford International Airport will use the funds for the demolition and complete reconstruction, including marking, grooving and lighting, of runway 8R-26L and its taxiways and high-speed turnoffs. Runway 8R-26L is 10,000 feet long, 150 feet wide and equipped with precision instrument approach capability at both runway ends. The runway is well past its useful life – the original center section of the runway is 38 years old, the west extension is 30 years old and the east extension is 22 years old – and so must be completely rebuilt in order to maintain safe operations.

Gerald R. Ford International Airport is the second busiest in the state and is in one of the fastest growing regions in the country. The reconstruction of the east/west runway is the latest in a series of capital improvements, totaling $250 million, at the airport. In 1998, the airport completed construction of a brand new north/south runway. In 1999, the new Air Cargo and Trade Center, a 160,000 square foot facility, opened for business. This year the airport finished a total remodeling of the passenger terminal.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded the grant to Gerald R. Ford International Airport as part of fiscal year 2001 Airport Improvement Program discretionary funds. Discretionary funds are determined by a competitive selection process among all commercial airports across the country that have applied for funding for specific renovations and improvements. The airport has also been approved for an additional $15,650,000 in entitlement funds for fiscal years 2001-2005 for a total of $31,500,000.