DOT awards $18.4 million to Hartsfield-Jackson for taxiway work

090722 Atlanta.: With the Atlanta skyline in the background, a Delta airplane taxis at Hartsfield-Jackson Domestic Airport, Wednesday, September 7, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com

090722 Atlanta.: With the Atlanta skyline in the background, a Delta airplane taxis at Hartsfield-Jackson Domestic Airport, Wednesday, September 7, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is awarding $18.4 million in grant funding to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for rehabilitation and reconstruction of taxiways.

The money will help pay for work on five taxiways at the Atlanta airport.

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, an Atlanta Democrat, called Hartsfield-Jackson “the country’s most important piece of civilian infrastructure.” In a written statement she said the funding will allow the airport to “continue to serve its millions of passengers and generate economic mobility.”

Taxiway reconstruction is one of many projects that are part of Hartsfield-Jackson’s $11.5 billion master plan to update and expand the world’s busiest airport.

Atlanta airport general manager Balram Bheodari said the taxiway work will improve safety and extend the lifespan of the pavement on the airfield.

The DOT regularly awards grants for airport runway and taxiway projects across the country.

“Airports play a tremendous role in local economies across the country, large and small, and as we emerge from the pandemic there is enormous demand for air travel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a written statement, adding that the grants will help modernize airports.

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