PASCO, Wash. – Airports in Washington are receiving nearly 200 million dollars in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Airport Improvement Program.
37 Airports in Washington, including Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Yakima and Prosser, will use this funding to make various facility improvements.
Buck Taft, Director of the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, said every year, the airport gets grants from the Federal Aviation Administration.
According to Washington Senator Maria Cantwell’s office, the Tri-Cities Airport received $4.4 million for upgrades. Taft said, “This money is going towards our North and South runway. We’ll call it 12-30. We’re shifting that runway 300 feet to be in compliance and design and safety standards. We’re basically cutting 300 feet off the south end and adding 300 to the north end.”
Taft said they will also put a lighting system on the runways to let pilots know if they are flying too low or high.
Taft said these programs are critical to airports, not just theirs.
“That’s how we’re able to afford the majority of our projects,” Taft said. “Those projects are funded at 90% federal and the airport or the Port of Pasco pays the 10% match we call it.”
One Fossil, OR, family was dropping off their daughter for a flight to Virginia. They said this was their first time at the Tri-Cities Airport, and they were impressed with the airport, but one thing they would like to see is more seating to sit around and talk before a flight.
Another passenger said they’d like to see more parking. Taft said that’s one of his main priorities.
“I’m hoping to add 200 to 400 more stalls by Spring Break time,” said Taft.
Taft said he looked into adding a parking garage outside the budget. However, he said adding more surface space was.
He said this past November was the airport’s busiest, and Christmas was even more active. Taft said he was curious if this Christmas was the best the airport saw, but he had a hunch it was.
Taft anticipates 2024 to be more active at the airport than in 2023.
Taft wanted to thank those who flew through the airport and said they could do these projects because of those flyers.
Taft said that they are looking at ticketing and baggage claim extensions in the next three years.
