RDU wins another federal grant to help build a new main runway
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- RDU will receive $23 million in federal funds for its new main runway project.
- The grant is part of a larger $1.1 billion plan to build a runway and taxiway.
- Sen. Thom Tillis announced the federal grant Wednesday, along with another for Charlotte-Douglas.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport has received another federal grant to help pay for a new runway.
RDU will receive $23 million from a nationwide program partly funded by the big infrastructure bill Congress passed in 2021, Sen. Thom Tillis announced Wednesday.
By itself, the grant is a small piece of the $1.1 billion that RDU expects to spend building a new main runway and converting the existing one into a taxiway. But faced with borrowing the bulk of that money, the airport is happy with any federal assistance it can get, says Michael Landguth, the president and CEO.
“Each year we will continue to ask for additional discretionary funding for what we consider a very critical project for RDU, which is the runway,” Landguth said in a recent interview before the grant was announced. “There’s no guarantee from year to year, but I think we have a great project that will compete well based on the priorities that the Federal Aviation Administration has laid out.”
Previously, RDU has received $119 million in federal money dedicated to the runway, Landguth said. It’s one of several projects the airport is undertaking to keep up with passenger growth, including a larger remote parking lot and expansion of both passenger terminals.
Tillis is a Republican who voted for the 2021 infrastructure bill that was a centerpiece of President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda. He is not seeking reelection next year. He made that decision public the day after he announced he would not vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the budget bill that contained much of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Tillis announced the RDU grant along with another for $45 million to help Charlotte Douglas International Airport expand an apron where planes are parked and serviced.
“As Charlotte and the Triangle continue to grow, it is vital that we invest in our public transportation and infrastructure, including our airports,” Tillis said in a written statement. “I am proud to have worked alongside local leaders to secure this critical funding.”
The new RDU runway will replace one completed in 1986 and nearing the end of its useful life. Contractors have begun moving utility lines and the earth and rock needed to create the runway’s foundation. The runway should be completed by the summer of 2029, Landguth said.
