St. Cloud Regional Airport Gets $3.7 Million to Reconstruct Two Taxiways
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The U.S. Department of Transportation has granted the St. Cloud Regional Airport $3.7 million to reconstruct two taxiways, according to a Wednesday announcement from Congressman Tom Emmer's office.
The funds will be used for Taxiway C and Taxiway D.
" The St. Cloud Regional Airport offers quality and necessary service to Central Minnesota and the surrounding region, including support to our Minnesota Army National Guard," Emmer said in a statement Wednesday. "The St. Cloud area serves as a major economic hub, and I am grateful for this investment in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District."
The airport was built in 1970 and served mostly general aviation or charter aircraft flights until 1993, when the airport started serving commercial flights.
The St. Cloud Regional Airport, shown in July 2017, has commercial flights and is home to corporate airplanes and other general aviation.
The St. Cloud Regional Airport, shown in July 2017, has commercial flights and is home to corporate airplanes and other general aviation. (Photo: Nora G. Hertel, [email protected])
It has been operating at a loss and is subsidized by the city. Local leaders hope for the airport to become self-sustaining and increase its economic impact.
Leaders around St. Cloud airport have been working for years to move airport oversight away from the city to a regional authority. Benton, Sherburne and Stearns counties and the city agreed to the creation of a regional airport authority in late 2019 and early 2020.
"Regional airports serve as a critical connection for Americans in rural areas," Emmer said in the statement. "Reconstructing two taxiways at the St. Cloud airport will ensure the viability of this airfield for years to come. The help this airport supplies to the broader community bolsters the local economy, and this investment will help sustain the airport and support the region."
St. Could Mayor Dave Kleis described it as a "great project," in the same release.
"We're excited to put some local contractors back to work while enhancing airport safety at the same time," he said.
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