Birmingham Airport Receives $5 Million

WASHINGTON- Congressman Spencer Bachus is pleased to announce that the Birmingham Airport Authority will receive $5,000,000 in federal grant money.

This grant will provide funds to continue a 2,000 foot expansion of the east-west runway.  Construction crews are nearing completion of the removal of obstacles in the runway extension which include fiber optic lines, natural gas pipelines, electrical lines, and drainage systems.

Once completed, the 12,000-foot runway will accommodate a fully loaded and fully fueled 747 cargo aircraft taking off on a non-stop overseas flight.  The expanded runway will allow Birmingham to expand air service to foreign destinations and provide air cargo services to the region's growing automobile manufacturers.
 
"This grant will greatly increase the capacity of the Birmingham Airport to serve the metropolitan area.  Modernizing and improving the infrastructure of the Birmingham Airport to better serve everyone who uses it has always been a priority of mine," said Congressman Bachus.

The grant was authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration, which is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation.