Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded the Lakeland Linder International Airport with a special supplementary Airport Improvement Program (AIP) discretionary grant totaling $8,500,000. In September, the DOT had awarded Lakeland Linder a similar AIP grant for $10,150,000. The two grants will be used to strengthen runway 9-27, the airport’s primary runway, and reconstruct runway lighting. Rep. Spano worked with the airport and the DOT to secure this funding.
“This funding is essential to the growth and expansion of Lakeland Linder, and the timing is critical for their construction timelines. DOT grants will go towards updating the runway infrastructure, which is needed to attract new businesses and jobs. The airport is also working to attract and accommodate large companies, and now is the time to start building for the future. As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Subcommittee on Aviation, I was glad to fight for the release of these funds this month, and I will continue to help Lakeland Linder and the surrounding community thrive,” said Rep. Spano.
Airport Director Eugene B. Conrad III added, “We are preparing to embark on the largest infrastructure project the Lakeland Linder International Airport has undertaken since WWII. This new grant finalizes all the funding components for our $27 million Runway 9/27 Rehabilitation and Strengthening project. We are extremely grateful to Congressman Spano and his team, the FAA’s Orlando ADO office, and our great partners at FDOT District 1 for believing in our vision.”
U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao likewise supports this investment, “The robust economy is enabling more passengers to travel by air so this Administration is investing billions of dollars in America’s airports which will address safer operations, fewer airport delays, and greater ease of travel for air travelers.”
Conrad said the contractor, Hubbard Construction of Winter Park, expects to have the runway mostly completed by the start of the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo, which runs from March 31 to April 5. The contractor will cease work for the air show and then resume it to complete the final elements, including the painting of stripes.
Operations at Lakeland Linder will continue throughout the project, Conrad said. Aircraft will have access to a second, 5,000-foot asphalt runway, and at least an equal length of the new runway will be available as crews pave the intersection of the two strips.
Conrad said the runway improvements don’t necessarily make Lakeland Linder more likely to attract commercial flights. The airport hasn’t hosted a commercial carrier since Direct Air shut down in 2012.
Lakeland Linder International Airport has over 125,000 aircraft operations annually and is the 112th busiest airport in the United States. The airport is also home to the NOAA Hurricane Hunters, the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, and Polk State College’s Aerospace programs. In May, Amazon announced its own $100 million investment in the airport.
The main runway extends 8,500 feet, or 1.61 miles. The asphalt of the runway now has an average depth of 3½ inches, Conrad said, and the project will increase that to a uniform thickness of 9 inches.
The FAA’s current standards require that thickness for the operations that occur at Lakeland Linder, Conrad said. As part of the project, crews will also reconstruct the runway’s lighting.
Work will begin Dec. 2 and is scheduled to finish before June, when Amazon will begin flights from a seven-jet cargo facility being constructed at the airport.