CAHOKIA HEIGHTS – St. Louis Downtown Airport has been awarded $4,740,328 in funding through the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Airport Improvement Grant Program to help cover the cost of completing the third phase of construction for its taxiway reconstruction project. The work on Taxiway Bravo will be completed under an intergovernmental agreement with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). The multi-phased planning, design and reconstruction project is included in the airport’s State and Federal Capital Improvement Plan that supports airport safety, operations, and users.
“This funding is a necessary, big win that moves us closer to completing the multi-phased reconstruction project to strengthen airport safety and operations,” said Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President of Multimodal Enterprises at Bi-State Development, which owns and operates the St. Louis Downtown Airport as one of its enterprises. “Our airport serves as an important economic engine for Illinois and the Southwestern Illinois region, and we would like to thank our federal and state legislators for their funding support of continued investment in St. Louis Downtown Airport.”
Completed phases of the Taxiway Bravo project to date include the preliminary planning, final engineering and the first construction phase, during which several taxiway fillets were built out. The second construction phase includes wetland relocation and drainage improvements and is in the award process at IDOT. The scope of this third construction phase includes the reconstruction of approximately 1,855 feet of taxiway pavement, in addition to the replacement and upgrade of the associated taxiway lighting and signage system. Construction is expected to get underway next summer and be completed by next fall. Baxmeyer Construction, Inc. has been selected by IDOT as the general contractor.
The total construction cost of $5,245,800 is being funded 90% by the FAA Airport Improvement Grant Program funds received, along with a 5% match by both IDOT and Bi-State Development’s Airport Fund.
“In order to better serve our community, customers and tenants, we’re constantly working to improve our infrastructure,” said Sandra Shore, Director of St. Louis Downtown Airport. “Planning is already underway for final three phases of the Taxiway Bravo reconstruction project, which are expected to advance over the next several years.”
St. Louis Downtown Airport is located east of downtown St. Louis on more than one thousand acres in St. Clair County, Illinois, in the municipalities of Cahokia Heights and Sauget. The airport is one of several in Illinois selected to receive funding through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Grant Program that will go toward reinforcing the structural integrity of taxiways, expanding existing terminal buildings to accommodate more passengers and aircraft operations, and installing various modernization measures, including mechanisms to alleviate noise pollution for surrounding residences, increase clean energy opportunities, improve drainage infrastructure and mitigate wildlife attractants.
To learn more about St. Louis Downtown Airport, visit www.stlouisdowntownairport.com.
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About Bi-State Development
Bi-State Development (BSD) owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch trams. BSD is the operator of Metro Transit–the main public transportation system in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; a MetroBus vehicle fleet of approximately 270 clean-burning diesel buses and 24 battery-electric buses; and Metro Call-A-Ride, a paratransit fleet of 123 vans. BSD also operates the St. Louis Regional Freightway, the region’s freight district.
