The Chehalis-Centralia Airport received $450,000 in two grants to update the airport’s master plan, part of nearly $200 million in federal funding airports throughout the state received this year.
In a joint announcement Friday morning, Washington Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell announced that 37 airports received federal support, with Southwest Washington receiving $789,000 and the Olympic Peninsula seeing an additional $1,254,000.
“The investments from the federal government this year mean that Chehalis-Centralia Airport can update its master plan and Southwest Washington Regional Airport can begin the process of replacing its taxiway and other infrastructure — both critical steps that will help the airports continue to serve as economic drivers for the Cowlitz County and Lewis County communities,” Cantwell said in a statement to The Chronicle.
According to the senators, the biggest beneficiary in the state was Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which received $68.1 million for projects to rebuild a terminal, expand security screening, mitigate noise and acquire snow removal equipment, among other projects.
Spokane International Airport received the second most, a total of $53,700,000 through four grants. The money helped fund an expanded apron and construct a taxiway, and expand and renovate an airport terminal.
“Airports are absolutely essential to getting people where they need to go — and when our airports lack the capacity, infrastructure or technology to serve passengers efficiently, it can cause major headaches and delays,” Murray said in a statement. “Thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, we’ve now brought nearly $200 million in federal funding home to airports across Washington state this year, from SeaTac to Spokane and Wenatchee to Chehalis.”
Cantwell, chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Murray, chair of the Appropriations Committee, helped secure $25 billion for air travel infrastructure through the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The Puget Sound received the most federal funding this year, at $79.3 million, with Eastern Washington ranking second at $73.5 million.
“The benefits of these investments can also be felt far beyond our airports — stronger air service translates to economic growth, high-paying jobs and increased connectivity between our rural and urban communities,” Cantwell said in a statement. “From funding new terminal projects in Spokane and Pullman to improving security wait times at Sea-Tac, federal airport grants are delivering results in every region across the state and will continue to pay dividends for Washington’s economy for generations to come.”
In 2021, the lawmakers announced $217 million in grants to Washington state airports to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which included $59,000 for the Chehalis-Centralia Airport.
