Feds Sending $100M to Upgrade Honolulu Airport After Decades of ‘Underinvestment’
The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wrapped his second day in the islands with a tour of Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL). Buttigieg said Honolulu Airport needs a lot of work after decades of neglect, but believes President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan and funding will change that.
From pealing runways and cracked roads to outdated terminal facilities, Hawaii’s airports have been showing signs of disrepair for years. But with the new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and $1.4 billion in federal funds, things are looking up.
Buttigieg met with Hawaii’s transportation director Ed Sniffen to discuss the situation and see how the funds will be used. Buttigieg also took a tour of the airport to see it first hand.
“What’s your take on the state of our airport facility here?”
“What I see is an airport that is vitally important to the economy. The state is taking great pride in running it well, but it needs work,” Buttigieg explained. “It needs upgrades before you can get into the airport. You see it on the road, which is why we’re glad to be supporting the improvements that are taking place to the road with a $22 million grant.”
Officials said that grant money is the first of five installments coming to the state in the next few years from the Airport Terminal Program (ATP).
The $22 million has been earmarked to fix certain areas of terminal 2 and 3 at Honolulu Airport including cracks in the shuttle roadways.
Construction on one of the main runways at Honolulu airport was just completed after months of closures. Now DOT officials said they are fixing the taxiways. The integrity of the runways is paramount for everyone’s safety.
In mid January, a large crack in the runway at Elison Onizuka Kona International Airport forced it to shut down , causing delays and cancellations.
“What we really want to do is bring airports around the U.S. not just to a decent standard, but to be leading the world,” Buttigieg added. “Because most of the world’s best airports, right now, are not in the U.S. and that’s because of thirty or forty years of under- investment. We’re changing that.”
There are a number of areas slated for upgrades in Honolulu, but officials said more than $110.7 million of the $1.4 billion earmarked for transportation is going to upgrade and modernize airport facilities across the state.
Kahului Airport on Maui will be receiving $8.6 million for a new security screening facility to help eliminate the checkpoint TSA screening delays and problems.
Buttigieg said the airports provide a local flare, and they want to ensure the facilities also deliver an efficient travel experience.
“The strength of this airport is something that we have an opportunity to support and we know that demand interest and desire to come to and from Hawaii by air is only going to increase in the coming year,” he said. “So these funds are coming right on time.”
Transportation officials said there are over 100 specific projects identified for funding and many more will be added in the coming months.
Visit hawaiiairportsmodernization.com for more information.
