Jonesboro Municipal Airport Gets $3.5M Grant to Strengthen Runway

A Google Street View image of a plane parked outside a hangar at Jonesboro Municipal Airport in 2021. 

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded Jonesboro Municipal Airport more than $3.5 million for runway strengthening. 

The money is part of $479 million in airport infrastructure grants awarded to 123 airports across the nation, the FAA announced Tuesday. 

“These grants will help strengthen our country’s airports and the communities they serve by making investments that create jobs and increase safety, sustainability and accessibility.” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release.

The Jonesboro Sun recently reported that Jonesboro Municipal Airport is looking at expanding air traffic to include larger planes capable of carrying more passengers and cargo.

Matt Roddy, the airport’s consulting engineer, told the paper that it would need to add 4 inches of asphalt to strengthen the main runway for larger planes. 

The funds announced Tuesday add to more than $3.1 billion in airport infrastructure grants the federal government has awarded during the fiscal year. That includes money from the American Rescue Plan Act.