Central Illinois airports improving infrastructure with FAA money

RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — Officials are announcing more than $37 million of grants that went to Illinois airports.

In Central Illinois, more than $4.5 million went to three local airports.

FAA grants Illinois airports over $37M in federal funding

Officials said the money is being used to improve terminals to handle more passengers, modernize technology and improve the integrity of taxiways. Rantoul Airport used their $2.4 million to improve their north-south runway.

"The runways are graded by a company called applied payment technology," said Carson Vericker, the airport manager. "And they put a grade on what their asphalt is and the degrade that come off of runway 1836 was very poor."

He says the FAA paid 90% of the runway's re-do with the state and village splitting the rest. Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport got $300,000 and Vermilion Regional Airport in Danville was the other central Illinois airport. They got a little more than $2 million.