Aircraft owners at the Oakland County International Airport will get a smoother ride thanks to a $6 million grant from the state.<\/p>\n
Work to replace\u00a0 nearly 8,000 feet of pavement will begin next spring, said airport manager Cheryl Bush.<\/p>\n
A $6 million grant managed by Michigan\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The county will add just over $151,000 to the state Department of Transportation\u2019s funds.<\/p>\n
Bush told commissioners on the county commission\u2019s Economic Development and Infrastructure committee that the work is a year overdue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pavement has been pretty rough. We\u2019ve had some complaints about it,\u201d she told the committee last week, adding that the work couldn\u2019t happen without the support of federal grants.<\/p>\n
The work will begin next spring on the airport\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The airport is in Waterford Township and is the second-busiest in Michigan.<\/p>\n