Airport gets nearly $600,000 for infrastructure projects

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport will benefit from nearly $600,000 in federal funding for infrastructure projects delivered through a pair of grants.

Both grants, one totaling $334,524 and the other $241,300, were awarded as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Fiscal Year 2025 Airport Infrastructure Grant program. Created under the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that former President Joe Biden signed into law in late 2021, the AIG program provides funding for airport runways, taxiways, and safety and sustainability investments, as well as terminal, airport-transit and roadway projects, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

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The nearly $335,000 federal AIG grant U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-8, Dallas Twp., announced Friday supports a broader project extending the existing “Taxiway B” at AVP, the local airport’s FAA code name, by 1,200 feet, a press release notes. It specifically supports some security gate work associated with the relocation of an air-traffic-control access road, AVP Director of Engineering Steve Mykulyn said.

“It’s a multiphase project as you can imagine,” he said of the taxiway extension. “The entire project was approximately $20 million. This most-recent portion was to handle some coordination that we needed to do with an access road that we have for our FAA tower, and the relocation of that road and the security gates that needed to be put in for that road. So that’s what that funding satisfied — that portion of the work that we needed to do in order to implement the overall taxiway extension project.”

Airport Director Carl Beardsley Jr. called it an important project, noting airport officials appreciate Bresnahan’s support.

“He’s been here and we’ve had a great relationship, and we look forward to more in the future,” Beardsley said.

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Bresnahan’s release describes the federal investments as a “significant win” for the region.

“By funding vital infrastructure projects, we are bringing taxpayer dollars home and laying the groundwork for long-term improvements at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport,” he said. “Modern, well-maintained facilities not only enhance air travel but also strengthen the region’s economy and connectivity.”

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