On the heels of a $4.8 million state investment in Trenton-Mercer Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that it will give the airport an additional $973,750 for upgrades.
The money, given under the federal Airport Improvement Program, is earmarked for rehabilitation projects on three runways. Most of the funding, according to Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes, will be used for engineering and design work associated with the project.
The funding bodes well for the airport’s future after years of questions about its value. Trenton-Mercer just this spring came out of a three-year period in which no commercial airline served the airport. Hughes, acknowledging that “it is not an easy task to acquire funding from the federal government these days,” said the grant underscores the airport’s importance to the region.
No timeframe for the rehabilitation work has been set, but the project involves replacing approximately 54,000 square yards of pavement, upgrading lighting that is more than 15 years old, and new markings and signage.
#b#Trenton-Mercer Airport#/b#, 1100 Terminal Circle Drive, Suite 301, West Trenton 08628; 609-882-1600; fax, 609-771-0732. Justin P. Edwards AAE, airport manager. www.mercercounty.org
