The N.C. Board of Transportation has approved state and federal funds for much-needed improvements to 19 North Carolina airports, including the Johnston County Airport.
The $10.2 million in funding will be used to provide improvements such as better lighting, longer runways and repairs to hangars and terminal buildings.
In Johnston County, $556,200 was awarded to make drainage repairs around the facility off Swift Creek Road outside of Smithfield.
Other airports to receive funding include:
- Albert J. Ellis (Richlands): $615,000 in additional funding for airfield lighting rehabilitation;
- Anson County: $37,000 for new perimeter fencing around the terminal area;
- Burlington-Alamance Regional: $1,080,000 reimbursement for a runway extension and related land acquisition;
- Cape Fear Regional Jetport: $400,000 additional reimbursement funds for runway extension land;
- Duplin County: $1,200,000 adjusted STI funding for runway widening and strengthening, improved lighting, and a new taxiway;
- Elizabeth City Regional: $291,480 for drainage rehabilitation on the T-hangar taxilane;
- Gastonia Municipal: $20,000 for runway alignment and new site alternatives analysis;
- Hickory Regional: $915,000 for reconstruction of the north ramp following tornado damage in 2017;
- Laurinburg-Maxton: $275,000 in additional funding for localizer replacement;
- Lumberton Regional: $623,000 for terminal building site improvements;
- Martin County: $95,000 for beacon replacement;
- Michael J. Smith Field (Beaufort): $71,000 in additional funding to update the Airport Layout Plan (ALP);
- Moore County: $1,440,000 for rehabilitation of the airfield drainage system;
- Northeastern Regional (Edenton): $540,550 for paving around a new fuel farm;
- Raleigh-Durham International: $642,608 for design of a Remain Over Night (RON) apron rehabilitation;
- Richmond County: $39,000 for obstruction clearing and fence replacement;
- Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional: $304,920 for underground closure and removal of the old fuel farm, and $194,000 for preliminary engineering on a new taxiway and hangars;
- Tri-County (Aulander): $875,000 towards construction of the new terminal building;
Airports and aviation-related industries contribute $31 billion to North Carolina’s economy each year, according to a 2016 report. There are 123,400 airport-related jobs in the state.
The funds awarded do not in all cases represent the total cost of the project.
