Airports across New York State are set to receive more than $20 million in federal infrastructure funding as aviation agencies continue modernizing airport facilities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced that the Federal Aviation Administration will distribute $20.7 million through the Airport Infrastructure Grant program to support construction, rehabilitation and safety upgrades at airports throughout the state.
The largest allocation — approximately $18.7 million — will support expansion and reconstruction work at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The funding will be used to significantly expand the airport’s public-use aircraft deicing pad, a critical operational component for winter weather reliability and airfield safety.
Other funded projects span regional, municipal and general aviation airports across the state and include taxiway rehabilitation, apron reconstruction, hangar upgrades and replacement of aging automated weather observation systems.
In the Finger Lakes region, grants were awarded for pavement rehabilitation at Canandaigua Airport and apron improvements at Finger Lakes Regional Airport. Funding also was directed toward design work for weather system replacement at Williamson-Sodus Airport.
Additional projects include runway rehabilitation at Bayport Aerodrome on Long Island and taxiway reconstruction design at Westchester County Airport.
In the Hudson Valley region, Joseph Y Resnick Airport will receive funding to replace its automated weather observing system, while Western New York projects include hangar reconstruction at Wellsville Municipal Airport and gate reconstruction at Chautauqua County-Dunkirk Airport.
The grants are part of the FAA’s broader national airport modernization initiative established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed in 2021. The program supports capital projects intended to improve aviation safety, operational resilience, sustainability and passenger experience.
For contractors and infrastructure developers, the funding package reflects continued momentum in airport construction and airfield modernization work nationwide. Aviation infrastructure projects remain a significant source of public-sector construction spending, particularly for heavy civil contractors, paving firms, specialty aviation subcontractors and infrastructure engineering companies.
Many of the projects involve rehabilitation of aging infrastructure assets that have reached or exceeded their intended service life, creating opportunities for continued investment in airfield systems, pavement reconstruction, electrical upgrades and operational resiliency improvements.
Originally reported by Gillibrand.
