Iowa airports receive $27 million in grants from federal government

Five Iowa airports will receive $27 million in grants from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by Congress.

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced Thursday that Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Dubuque and Washington area airports will receive money from the 2022 Airport Terminal Program.

It is one of three aviation programs funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The terminal program will allocate nearly $1 billion annually for five years to airports through grants to help increase terminal capacity at 85 airports across the country. The U.S. Department of Transportation is looking to revitalize infrastructure and increase capacity and safety while improving air traffic control towers.

Iowa’s senior Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley voted yes on the infrastructure package, while Sen. Joni Ernst, also a Republican, voted no. Democrat Rep. Cindy Axne was Iowa’s only representative in the House to vote for the bill. Grassley said he supported the legislation to invest in Iowans and Iowa’s economy.

“Iowa’s regional airports support all kinds of economic activity, from transporting goods to providing Iowans with connections to various destinations across the country,” Grassley said in a press release. “It’s critical that we keep our airport infrastructure up to date to maintain a resilient supply chain and a healthy economy.”

Here are Iowa’s allocations:

• Council Bluffs Municipal Airport: $112,500 for accessibility improvements;
• Des Moines International Airport: $5 million to finish the first stage of construction for a new terminal; 
• Dubuque Regional Airport: $1.3 million for improvements to the passenger terminal
• Eastern Iowa Airport: $20.4 million to expand the passenger terminal and complete the terminal modernization program 
• Washington Municipal Airport: $129,675 to make improvements to the general aviation terminal