Aircraft owners at the Oakland County International Airport will get a smoother ride thanks to a $6 million grant from the state.
Work to replace nearly 8,000 feet of pavement will begin next spring, said airport manager Cheryl Bush.
A $6 million grant managed by Michigan’s Department of Transportation will help renovate Oakland County International Airport. This grant money comes from the Federal Aviation Agency but is managed by MDOT. It will pay to reconstruct and improve lighting for Taxilanes D, F and Y and renovate the airport apron.
The county will add just over $151,000 to the state Department of Transportation’s funds.
Bush told commissioners on the county commission’s Economic Development and Infrastructure committee that the work is a year overdue.
“The pavement has been pretty rough. We’ve had some complaints about it,” she told the committee last week, adding that the work couldn’t happen without the support of federal grants.
The work will begin next spring on the airport’s north side and will be done in phases over four months so the nearly 400 airplanes kept at the airport will remain accessible to their owners, Bush told commissioners.
The committee also advised the commission to approve a separate, nearly $2.2 million MDOT grant to reimburse the airport for purchased snow-removal equipment and land to add to a protection zone for Runway 27L and renovate the pavement for Taxilane M.
The airport is in Waterford Township and is the second-busiest in Michigan.
The commissioners’ general business meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in the auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. The full agenda and packet are online at https://oaklandcomi.portal.civicclerk.com/event/1302/files/agenda/11994.