MUSCLE SHOALS—Northwest Alabama Regional Airport (MSL) has been awarded $5.9 million from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for airport development and runway safety. MSL will also be using state funds with this grant for Phase 1 of the Runway 11/29 Rehabilitation project that will reconstruct the runway to correct transverse grade and mark 12/30 for magnetic declination correction, as well as, reconstruct and replace airfield guidance signs and distance remaining signs. Construction is scheduled for Spring 2019 and is anticipated to last 90 days.
The FAA is set to award $586 million in Airport Improvement Plan grants to 181 airports in 39 states, which will fund 458 infrastructure projects. The agency has already awarded more than $2.7 billion in AIP grants for 2,367 projects this year.
This grant will enable MSL to remain a critical mode of transport from the Shoals to other larger hubs in the United States. The airport offers quick and easy access to surrounding communities and provides non-stop service to Nashville and Atlanta daily on Boutique Air, an essential air service carrier.
The grant also helps promotes economic development in the Shoals area by providing improved runway infrastructure used for both commercial and business air transportation to and from Northwest Alabama.
Media Release/Northwest Alabama Regional Airport/Presley Price
