BOSTON (AP) â Three of the biggest airports in New England are slated to make improvements to control towers, gates and mechanical systems under a nearly $1 billion federal plan to strengthen the nationâs air travel infrastructure.
The largest of the New England grants is going to Logan International Airport in Boston. The airport will receive $12 million toward a two-phase project to expand and renovate an existing traffic control tower, the Federal Aviation Administration said in documents.
Bradley International Airport near Hartford, Connecticut, will receive $5.4 million to pay for improvements associated with terminal expansion and renovation, the FAA said.
Portland International Jetport in Maine is set to receive $10.4 million to install new passenger boarding bridges and make other improvements, the agency said.
The federal money is going to a total of 114 airports across the country. Some smaller airports in New England are also slated for improvements.
The FAA said Concord Municipal Airport in New Hampshireâs capital city would receive more than $2.5 million to build a new terminal and demolish the existing one, which is more than 80 years old.
Concord has been trying to replace its airport terminal since 2006, and a study urged such a move in 2019. The Concord City Council voted in early 2021 to move forward with construction.
According to the Concord Monitor, the current terminal was built in 1938 and renovated in 1961, and it currently has significant code violations and safety deficiencies.
âAfter its demolition, designs call for a 5,450-square-foot building with a modern design and floor-to-ceiling windows and a new parking lot. The new buildingâs footprint is next to the current one, providing a better vantage point of the runway from its interior and creating space for a new hangar on the old footprint,â the Monitor reported.
The federal money will not pay for all of the project, which carries a $3.96 million price tag.
The money for all 114 recipients comes through the FAAâs Airport Terminal Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.