Appleton International Airport gets $3.4M expansion grant from feds

A Wisconsin airport will see a little piece of a billion-dollar federal investment package, as Appleton International Airport (ATW) was awarded a $3.4 million expansion and modernization grant.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the funds will go to a 60,000-square-foot expansion project that will increase the number of concourse gates from four to 10. The award will partially fund the final phase of the concourse expansion project, including passenger boarding bridges, a solar and sustainability program and mechanical equipment, FAA officials noted.

In July, the state enumerated $7 million to double the square footage of Appleton airport’s concourse. The overall project will cost around $56 million, and part of the funding comes from the airport’s own capital improvement budget, according to airport officials.

Miron Construction was awarded the bid and crews broke ground around November, said Jesse Funk, the air service and business development manager for ATW. The first phase of construction is expected to wrap up in early 2025, and the rest of the expansion will be completed in the same year, he added.

The federal funding comes from the Airport Terminal Program, which officials said is one of three aviation programs under Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Joe Biden in November 2021.

The government aims to launch projects that will improve passenger experience, accessibility and sustainability and meet the growing demand for air travel, officials said. Improvements include new baggage systems, larger security checkpoints, increasing gate capacity and updating infrastructure for certain terminals.

“Under this administration, we are doing more to improve the travel experience than ever before, from expanding consumer protections to modernizing the physical infrastructure,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement. “These investments we’re announcing today, made possible by President Biden’s historic infrastructure package, will make it easier for passenger to get to and through airports, create jobs and increase safety for all,” he added.