INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis International Airport (IND) was recently awarded $26.6 million from the Federal Aviation Administration in a seventh round of Airport Infrastructure Grants funding totaling $289 million to 129 airports across 40 states, improving the safety and efficiency of air travel. The projects are funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s AIG program, as part of the $25 billion Congress approved in federal funding dedicated to airport improvements across the country.
The Indy airport grant was among the largest for airports selected to receive the latest round of funding. The funding will be applied to reconstruct IND Runway 5R-23L and Taxiway D for safety improvements.
IND has received $146 million in federal grants for this reconstruction project.
The runway is at the center of the Indianapolis Airport Authority’s (IAA) three-year, three-phase $295 million reconstruction project to enhance IND’s capacity. The project, which includes LED runway and taxiway lighting, is in its final phase and will be completed later this year.
“This project is a significant investment in the future of aviation operations at IND – and is crucial to maintaining the public value of the airport,” said Mario Rodriguez, IAA executive director. “It’s a 10,000-foot-long runway, vital to handling cargo operations and commercial airline traffic.”
IND’s runway project has earned high praise from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, which awarded it the Envision Platinum Award, the institution’s highest honor for sustainability and resiliency. It is the first airfield project in the world to receive this prestigious recognition.