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Peoria International Airport

FAA Announces Phase 2 Grant for New Control Tower at PIA

 Peoria, IL – The US Department of Transportation today announced a grant of $14 million under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to continue with construction of a replacement Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport. The existing ATCT is co-located with the old terminal which opened in 1959. The condition of the ATCT has deteriorated significantly over the years and in addition does not meet current FAA physical standards or requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new tower will meet all of those standards and provide a safe, efficient facility to control air traffic into and out of PIA. A previous grant of $15 million was announced last summer, so this grant brings the total to approximately $30 million. 

“The cost estimates from our 2017 design process were approximately $20 million, and we were concerned about the effects of inflation on the project.”, said Gene Olson, Director of Airports for the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria. “So, this new Phase 2 grant helps us fund the project.” 

The Airport Authority has been busy completing preliminary requirements since the initial grant announcement last July. One major element of this work was to verify the Environmental Assessment that was completed in 2017. Since the old tower is over 50 years in age, a study had to be completed to document eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. Due to the many changes in the structure over the years, it was deemed not eligible. In addition, the 2017 design itself has to be verified. In the five years since the completion of the design work, the Building Code that guides the design has changed, and so has the FAA’s design standard for Air Traffic Control Towers. The work to verify the design is on-going. 

“We’d like to thank the entire team working on this project, from the architects to the FAA staff in the Chicago Airports District Office. In addition, none of this would be happening without the involvement of Illinois’ dedicated Congressional Representatives from the 17th and 18th Districts, as well as Senators Durbin and Duckworth and all of their staffs”, said Olson. 

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The General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport currently provides service to 13 destinations on three airlines: Allegiant to Phoenix/Mesa, AZ; Denver, CO; Destin/Ft. Walton, Fort Lauderdale, Ft. Myers/Punta Gorda, Orlando/Sanford,  Sarasota, and Tampa/St. Pete in Florida; Las Vegas, NV; Nashville, TN; American to Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; and Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX; and United to Chicago, IL. Air freight service is provided by UPS serving Central Illinois with daily flights to major freight hubs. General Aviation is served by Byerly Aviation at PIA and by the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria at the Mount Hawley Airport.