The head of the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority thanked state and local legislators Tuesday for securing a $20 million grant to help fund the San Diego International Airport's Terminal 1 project.
Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of the airport authority, responded to the news that California Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein secured $139.5 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for eight airports across the state.
"We truly appreciate the support of Senators Padilla and Feinstein, and Congressman Peters as well as our entire delegation, in making these funds available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," Becker said in a statement to City News Service. "The $20 million Airport Terminal Program grant will fund a portion of the New T1 project, the largest construction project in the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority's history.
"When the project is complete, the terminal will provide the customer experience our community deserves and make our airport more attractive to the millions of people who want to visit our beautiful city," Becker added.
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The nearly $140 million in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law also includes grants to several other Southern California airports, including LAX, Hollywood/Burbank Airport and Palm Springs International Airport, to upgrade, modernize and rebuild terminals, air traffic control towers and other facilities.
"This latest round of federal dollars coming to California will make our airports safer and more accessible to passengers, with upgrades to modernize terminals and improve energy efficiency," Padilla said. "This is a big win that creates jobs and improves the experience for the millions of Californians and visitors who travel through our airports."
"The announcement of nearly $140 million for critical projects at airports across the state will go a long way toward ensuring our airports remain capable of supporting the world's fourth largest economy and improve the safety and efficiency of travel," Feinstein said.
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Both Padilla and Feinstein voted to pass the infrastructure bill. Last summer, the senators announced nearly $100 million in airport infrastructure grant funding for the state's airports.
The FAA will allocate an additional $12 billion nationwide in airport infrastructure improvements over the next several years. Pending upgrades include runway and taxiway renovations, increased cargo capacity, upgraded terminal facilities and safety enhancements.
