Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle approves five airport projects

Gov. Jim Doyle approved five airport improvement projects Thursday, releasing about $50,000 in state funding.

The projects will cost a total of $2.1 million, with $57,000 of that picked up by local governments and the rest funded by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The largest project is a $1.15 million pavement reconstruction and future design at the Manitowoc County Airport, which will rebuild the parallel taxiway to its primary runway and start designing the reconstruction of the parallel taxiway to its secondary runway. Work is expected to begin in August and be completed by November.

A $725,000 project at Prairie du Chien Municipal Airport will expand an apron and construct a taxiway to Runway 29, providing much needed maneuvering space in the terminal area. Work is scheduled to start this month and end in November.

The Rice Lake Regional Airport will build an aircraft storage hangar for $158,000, enabling the airport to meet the increasing aircraft storage demands of tenants and generate revenues through leasing. The project is scheduled to last from summer to winter.

The Middleton Municipal Airport will spend $50,000 to update its layout plan and develop site alternatives for a snow removal equipment building, while a $30,000 project at Palmyra Municipal Airport will extend its main taxiway to the terminal and hangar areas, aiding the flow of aircraft traffic.