Jackson Free Press

This is a verbatim press release from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority reproduced below.

Jackson, MS – The FAA through the Airport Improvement Program and MDOT awarded grant funds to support airfield construction projects at both the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) and Hawkins Field Airport (HKS). FAA provided $17,216,361, and MDOT contributed $200,000, toward the cost of resurfacing of the West Runway, and portions of parallel taxiway Alpha at JAN. AIP funds in the amount of $320,161, and $17,787, in MDOT funds, will be used to resurface the aircraft parking apron at HKS, adjacent to the historic terminal building. Work on the runway at JAN will commence at the beginning of 2017, while the project at HKS is scheduled to begin in November 2016.

Rosie L.T. Pridgen, Ph.D. Chairman of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority responded to the confirmation of the award with the following: “Our airports are key economic drivers. The Board of Commissioners of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority (JMAA) made a commitment to the community to fund today and tomorrow and ensure our airports have safe and well developed airfields to sustain and enhance our ability to provide commercial, military and general aviation services. With the assistance of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Mississippi Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division (MDOT), we are able make additional progress to achieve those goals.”

The AIP grants are made available to public agencies for the planning and development of public-use airports that are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (“NPIAS”). For small primary and reliever airports, the grant covers ninety (90) percent of eligible costs, based on statutory requirements. Eligible projects include those improvements related to enhancing airport safety, capacity, security, and environmental concerns. MDOT grants are generally made available to support the ten (10) percent share requirement associated with AIP grants.