{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://budzinski.house.gov/posts/budzinski-brings-home-22-million-in-federal-funding-for-central-and-southern-illinois-airports", "Budzinski Brings Home $22 Million in Federal Funding for Central and Southern Illinois Airports", "2026-09-17", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Nikki Budzinski", "B001315", "budzinski.house.gov", "budzinski", "https://budzinski.house.gov/press", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) announced $22,928,305 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for St. Louis Downtown Airport and Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. The federal grants will go towards several construction and safety-related upgrades at both airports.\n\n\u201cSt. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia Heights and Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield play a critical role in providing regional air service for our district, but they\u2019re in need of modernization to help better serve travelers and businesses,\u201d said Congresswoman Budzinski. \u201cI\u2019m excited to announce more than $22 million in federal funding that will modernize infrastructure and implement necessary safety and infrastructure upgrades at these airports. These grants ensure our regional airports can continue to serve travelers and support local economic growth.\u201d\n\nThe following projects will receive funding under the grants:\n\n$11,839,322 for Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI): The funding will support the rehabilitation of 7,400 feet of Runway 13/31 to maintain its structural integrity, reduce foreign object debris, and extend the runway\u2019s useful life. This grant will fund Phase 1 of the project, including lighting installation along 2,470 feet of runway.\n\n$11,020,583 for St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS): The funding will support improvements to Taxiway B to bring the airport into conformity with current standards. This grant will fund Phase 7 of the project, shifting 3,200 feet of Taxiway B between Taxiways B1 and B5 by 25 feet.\n\n$68,400 for St. Louis Downtown Airport (CPS): The funding will be used to acquire 18 new vehicle movement area transponders, helping bring the airport into conformity with current safety standards.\n\n\u201cThis is a critical community transportation infrastructure asset, and we are grateful for Representative Budzinski\u2019s and the FAA\u2019s continued support of this important project.\u201d said Mark Hanna, Executive Director of the Springfield Airport Authority. \u201cThese discretionary awards are highly competitive, and this year\u2019s award represents nearly ten times the Springfield Airport Authority\u2019s typical annual allocation from the program. This extraordinary level of federal investment of airport improvement funds reflects the importance of maintaining the airport\u2019s infrastructure and ensuring Runway 13-31 remains a safe and reliable air transportation asset for our community and the region.\u201d\n\n\u201cSt. Louis Downtown Airport is grateful for Representative Budzinski\u2019s continued support of the airport as an important transportation asset serving the region and contributing to our economy. The funding announced will support our ongoing Taxiway Bravo project, which is essential to maintaining a safe and efficient operating environment while also helping to drive the airport\u2019s continued growth,\u201d said Sandra Shore, Airport Director of St. Louis Downtown Airport. \u201cThe additional grant for the acquisition of Vehicle Movement Area Transponders will further enhance operational safety by increasing the visibility of vehicles on the airport to Air Traffic Control and providing controllers with greater situational awareness. We appreciate Representative Budzinski\u2019s continued commitment, as well as the support of the FAA for strengthening airport infrastructure and safety at St. Louis Downtown Airport.\u201d\n\nThe grants are provided through the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) Program, established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program provides $14.5 billion over five years for investments in runways, taxiways, safety and sustainability projects, terminals, airport transit connections and roadway projects.", 1, "2026-09-19T09:11:33Z", "2026-09-19T09:12:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://budzinski.house.gov/posts/budzinski-brings-home-22-million-in-federal-funding-for-central-and-southern-illinois-airports"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.745724119246006, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}