Venice Municipal Airport will extend its taxiway and Punta Gorda Airport will begin a major renovation of its biggest runway thanks to federal funding announced this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Punta Gorda's share of the funding, $471,305, will be used for the design of a crucial renovation of its largest runway that's estimated to rack up $15.8 million in construction costs, said marketing and communications manager Kaley Miller.

The work, which will most likely begin next summer, means the airport's largest runway — the 7,193-foot Runway 4-22 — will be out of commission for about a year. Flights will instead depart and arrive from Runway 15-33, which will be 6,281-feet long and is undergoing its own extension.

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The change of runways means flight patterns will change, Miller said.

"When the change occurs ... some people may notice planes flying over that they hadn't noticed before," she said. "People often ask, 'Can't you make the planes fly over DeSoto (County) and then fly into PGD?' The problem is, there's a whole flight corridor where people travel from the northeast to Miami. Those new flight patterns will be determined by the (Federal Aviation Administration) in a way so that it's safe and not in the same flight path as going other airports."

As the temporary runway closure approaches, Miller said the airport will hold a community information meeting.

The good news is that the noise impact should be minimal, Miller said, because the A320 aircraft Allegiant Air uses are relatively quiet. Noise complaints have been minimal, she said.

"It's more of a sight thing than a noise thing," Miller said.

The FAA funding for the Runway 4-22 project will cover the design phase, which includes new pavement, lighting and signs. It's been at least two decades since the runway has been rehabilitated, Miller said.

The construction costs are expected to be 90% funded by the federal government, 5% by the Florida Department of Transportation and 5% from a fund that comes from Allegiant collecting a $4.50 per passenger fee, according to the airport's capital improvement program report from June 2020.

"This is the design phase, and then we'll ask for more funding for the actual construction from the FAA," Miller said.

The Venice Municipal Airport also received $200,000 to extend its taxiway, according to the Department of Transportation. Airport director Mark Cervasio said that the money will be used to fund the design portion for a taxiway near the airport's smaller runway, Runway 5-23.

Construction on 5-23 will start next year, and the airport will again ask for federal funds for that, Cervasio said. He said he expects construction to cost about $2 million. The taxiway construction won't cause any service interruptions, he said.

Venice and Punta Gorda were two of 184 airports in the U.S. and its territories that received funding for safety and infrastructure improvements.

In this round of grants, the federal government gave out more than $273 million in funding, including more than $242 million from the Airport Improvement Program and $31 million from the CARES Act.

"This $273 million federal investment in our nation's airports will strengthen safety, improve travel, generate jobs, and benefit local communities," U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.

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