(The Center Square) — The feds are sending $40 million to help improve a concourse at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration handed down the grant, which is part of more than $968.6 million from the fiscal 2022 Airport Terminal Program for 85 projects nationwide. The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act established the program; it includes $1 billion annually over five years.
The Atlanta airport will use the money to rehabilitate the 40-year-old Concourse D. This project will widen, update and modernize the concourse, including enlarging hold rooms, restrooms and the central corridor.
The project will increase capacity, improve compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification. According to FAA information, the terminal upgrade project will support more than 500 construction jobs.
In an announcement, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said, “Americans deserve modern airports that meet the needs of their families and growing passenger demand.” U.S. Sen Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia, touted the funding for Hartsfield-Jackson on Twitter but did not immediately post a press release on his website.
The money for Hartsfield-Jackson is just the latest federal handout of taxpayer money for Georgia airports.
Last month, the FAA announced $20.2 million for five airport projects in Georgia. The money was part of the second round of the 2022 Airport Improvement Program, a $518 million nationwide program for airport infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile, the number of tourists to Georgia continued to rise even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, The Center Square reported exclusively this week.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
