US: New round of FAA airport funds includes $93m to Chicago O’Hare

FAA, in its fourth round of US airport infrastructure grants for 2018, has released an additional $616.9m in funding, lifting the total airport improvement program (AIP) awards announced year-to-date to $2.7b. A total of $3.2b in AIP allotments will be distributed this year. US airports are entitled to a certain amount of AIP grants every year, based on passenger volume, activity levels and project needs. Discretionary funds are provided as supplements if an airport’s capital project exceeds its entitlement. Notable in this round is $79.9m in discretionary funding, on top of $13.1m in entitlement funds, awarded to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), which at a total of $93m makes ORD’s AIP grant the largest awarded as a single announcement for the 2018 cycle. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) said the latest round of 242 AIP grants to 226 US airports will fund 408 infrastructure projects.<br/>