U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced today that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $400,500 in airport safety and infrastructure grants to Sawyer International Airport in Michigan. This investment in Michigan’s airports is part of a $520.5 million national investment in America’s 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 nation’s 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. Sawyer International Airport in Gwinn will receive $400,500 to seal pavement on runways and taxiways and to modify a sand and chemical storage building.
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 than 7 million jobs 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 remarkable 3.6 percent—the lowest in 50 years.
Aviation is an important part of that growth. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. civil aviation supports more than 5% of U.S. gross domestic product; $1.6 trillion in economic activity; and nearly 11 million jobs.
“America’s 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. “It’s in our national interest to make them the crown jewel in our transportation system. The Airport Improvement Program allows us to do just that.”
Today, Rep. Jack Bergman announced a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant for K.I. Sawyer International Airport.
The $400,500 grant will be used to perform crack seal on runways and taxiways to extend service life, as well as improve the existing sand and chemical storage building by adding a 5,500-gallon chemical storage tank.
Rep. Bergman noted that this is the second major investment in K.I. Sawyer by the Trump Administration in the past year. In September of 2019, Secretary Elaine Chao awarded a $1,099,199 grant for construction and utilities at the airport.
“This investment by President Trump’s Administration continues his commitment to fighting for our rural and remote communities. K.I. Sawyer’s success is essential to the continued economic success of the Upper Peninsula. This is more great news for the First District of Michigan,” said Rep. Bergman.
