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 18 airports in Nebraska. This investment in Nebraskas 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 airports receiving Airport Improvement Program grants in Nebraska include:

• Albion Municipal Airport$236,700 to fund runway surface and joint sealing.
• Alma Municipal Airport$558,802 to fund taxiway construction.
• Blair Municipal Airport $750,000 to fund parking lot improvements and to build an access road.
• Cram Field$229,500 to fund the installation of navigational aids.
• Central City Municipal Airport/Larry Reineke Field$380,052 to fund taxiway lighting and navigational aids.
• Cozad Municipal Airport$479,566 to fund apron rehabilitation.
• Fairbury Municipal Airport $345,000 to fund the sealing of runway pavement surface and joints.
• Hartington Municipal Airport/Bud Becker Field$549,000 to fund runway rehabilitation.
• Hebron Municipal Airport$315,000 to fund the sealing of apron pavement surface and joints, plus the sealing of taxiway pavement.
• Brewster Field$292,500 to fund the sealing of runway pavement surface and joints.
• Jim Kelly Field$600,000 to fund the sealing of apron, runway and taxiway pavement surface and joints.
• Lincoln$360,000 to buy snow removal equipment and $450,000 to update the Airport Master Plan.
• Nebraska City Municipal $463,500 to fund the sealing of runway pavement surface and joints.
• North Platte Regional Airport/Lee Bird Field$285,000 to fund an update to the Airport Master Plan Study.
• Searle Field$600,000 to fund the building and/or improvements to a hangar.
• The ONeill Municipal John L. Baker Field$300,000 to fund construction of a taxiway.
• Miller Field$572,017 to fund the reconstruction of a runway.
• Wayne Municipal/Stan Morris Field$2,950,000 to fund the construction of a taxiway.

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.