WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $10.7 million in airport safety and infrastructure grants to 13 airports in Arkansas. This investment in Arkansas airports is part of a $520.5 million national investment in Americas airports that was announced today by Secretary Chao.

This $520.5 million in federal support to airports across the country will help to keep our nations airports in good shape and make air travel a better experience for passengers, said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.

With this announcement, the Trump Administration has invested a historic $11.42 billion in more than two thousand American airports across the United States for safety and infrastructure improvements since January 2017.

The grants to airports in Arkansas include the following awards:

• $76,500 to Sharp County Regional Airport for taxiway construction.
• $1.64 million to Bentonville Municipal Field for taxiway construction and to install taxiway lighting.
• $477,946 to Delta Regional Airport in Colt for runway, taxiway and apron pavement sealing.
• $272,000 to Jack Stell Field in Crossett for runway and taxiway lighting reconstruction.
• $70,200 to Billy Free Municipal Airport in Dumas for taxiway construction.
• $171,500 to Marion County Regional Airport in Flippin to acquire land for aircraft approaches and for development.
• $1.02 million to Memorial Field in Hot Springs for work on an airport lighting vault and for runway pavement sealing.
• $5.99 million to Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock for taxiway reconstruction.
• $55,530 to McGehee Municipal Airport for access road construction.
• $299,700 to Morrilton Municipal Airport for apron rehabilitation and for taxiway pavement sealing.
• $254,880 to Ozark-Franklin County Airport for erosion control and to improve airport drainage.
• $131,850 to Pocahontas Municipal Airport to install runway visual guidance systems.
• $238,500 to Smith Field in Siloam Springs for taxiway lighting reconstruction.

The Administration not only supports infrastructure through funding it is making it possible to deliver these much-needed improvements more quickly. The Department is working hard to streamline the approval process, cut unnecessary red tape and reduce unnecessary, duplicative regulations that do not contribute to safety.

These investments and reforms are especially timely because the U.S. economy is surging. Employers have added more than7 millionjobs since January 2017. To kick off the new decade, a robust 225,000 American jobs were added in January 2020 and the unemployment rate is still a remarkable3.6 percentthelowest in 50 years.

Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than5%of U.S. gross domestic product;$1.6 trillionin economic activity; and nearly11 millionjobs.

Americas airports provide a gateway to the world for our citizens while at the same time delivering first impressions of the United States to visitors from abroad, said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. Its in our national interest to make them the crown jewel in our transportation system. The Airport Improvement Program allows us to do just that.