TF airport awarded funding for upgrades

The Thompson Falls Airport will be receiving almost $150,000 to reconstruct the runways, taxiways, and aprons. The money that is being given is part of the effort to connect Montana. Senator John Tester announced that more than $8 million dollars will be put toward upgrading 13 airports across Montana. Thompson Falls Airport will receive funds of $147,136.The other airports that will be receiving money are Baker, Big Timber, Bert Mooney Airport (Butte), Choteau, Conrad, Dillon, Helena Regional, Lincoln, Ronan, Stanford, Three Forks, and Yellowstone.

Connect Montana is an initiative launched by Senator Tester to address the connectivity challenges facing Montana’s businesses, schools, and families. The initiative will expand high-speed internet access, guarantee rural call completion and strengthen broadcasting in Montana. The initiative also addresses the importance of air travel throughout rural Montana.

“When you live in a place called Big Sky Country, air travel is a necessity,” Sen. Tester said. "That’s why it’s critical that we invest in our airports, because families, tourists, and businesses across our great state rely on Montana’s air travel infrastructure to get where they’re going.”

Senator Steve Daines was also instrumental in securing the funds for the airports. “Strengthening the infrastructure that supports air travel in Montana is vital to our local economy,” Daines said. “These grants will lead to greater access for Montana’s visitors and more good paying jobs for Montana’s thriving tourism industry.” Sen. Daines currently sits on the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations which has jurisdiction over the airport funding.

The funding that the Thompson Falls Airport will receive comes from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP). It is through this program that the airports across Montana and the rest of the United States can expand and continue to improve.

Both senators are working to pass infrastructure packages to repair roads, invest in air travel, and improve access to broadband in Montana as well.