Sep. 19—The first steel girder is in the ground as Chattanooga Airport's terminal expansion begins to take flight, and the project has captured a $5 million federal grant to help pay the cost, an official said Monday.

"We're 90 days in. A lot of activity has been going on," said Terry Hart, the airport's chief executive, at a meeting of the Airport Authority.

Hart told the panel the $5 million grant is part of pot of funds earmarked for airport terminals nationally that was included in President Joe Biden's infrastructure bill passed by Congress late last year.

" Chattanooga is the only Tennessee airport to receive money from that fund," he said.

Hart said the grant will enable the airport to use fewer passenger facility charge funds for the expansion. He said that will permit the use of those funds for other projects at the airport.

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