Tester Announces Nearly $6 Million to Upgrade Airports & Help #ConnectMT

(Big Sandy, Mont.) – As part of his ongoing efforts to #ConnectMT, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced nearly $6 million in funding today to upgrade airports in Bozeman, Laurel, Butte, and Choteau.

“When you live in a state as sprawling as Montana, sometimes you’ve got to fly the Big Sky to get where you’re going,” Tester said. “That’s why it’s critical that we invest in our airports, because families, tourists, and businesses across our great state rely on Montana’s air travel infrastructure to connect them with the people and places they care about.”

The funding comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, which provides grants to airports across the country in order to expand and improve America’s air travel infrastructure. The specific allocation of grants is as follows:

• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport – $3,211,200
  To complete the final phase of construction on a new 5,050-foot runway.

• Laurel Municipal Airport – $2,012,940
  To complete the second of a three-phase project to relocate and upgrade a 3,000-foot crosswind runway.

• Bert Mooney Airport (Butte) – $550,543
  To complete phase two (out of seven) of construction on a new 39,903 square foot terminal building.

• Choteau Airport – $133,810
  To update the existing airport master plan & determine current and future needs of the airport.

This funding will help advance Tester’s #ConnectMT initiative, which seeks to connect folks across Big Sky Country-both online and in person-by investing in Montana’s roads, bridges, broadband, wifi, cellular and landline infrastructures.

Tester announced an additional $2 million for Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport through the Airport Improvement Program in May and nearly $9 million among 20 local airports last month. He also recently secured new state-of-the-art screening equipment for airports in Great Falls and Helena.