New Century AirCenter receives funds for runway repairs

The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $545,711 in federal money to Johnson County New Century AirCenter for structural and safety improvements to two deteriorated runways.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids made the announcement Wednesday.

The deteriorated surface of a 7,339-foot runway will be replaced with new asphalt to ensure runway safety and structural integrity. A binder will be laid to seal and repair cracks on a 5,112-foot runway, providing a layer of protection against water, oil and U.V. damage – extending the runway's overall life.

"As the second-busiest airport in the state of Kansas, we are seeing a large uptick in traffic, and the need for a reset on our major surfaces has never been greater," Larry Peet, Johnson County Airport Commission interim executive director, said. "Staff works hard to maintain existing runways 1836 and 4-22, but the last reset of this magnitude was in the early 2000s. Having new and improved surfaces will significantly reduce the amount of additional staff time it takes to extend the life of the existing surfaces."

The funds are dispersed from the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Improvement Program, which was bolstered by the bipartisan infrastructure law with $22 million for Kansas airports, including the New Century AirCenter.

New Century AirCenter is one of the busiest towered airports in Kansas with more than 60,000 annual operations and 120 based aircrafts.

"When we make targeted investments in local infrastructure, our communities become safer, more efficient and better equipped to handle future economic development and job growth," Davids said. "Our community is located in the middle of the country, we are perfectly situated to be a national leader in shipping and logistics, which improves domestic supply chains and lowers costs for Kansas families and businesses. These new funds to improve aging infrastructure will help ensure New Century AirCenter can move goods for years to come."

"Representative Davids continues to vote in support of the FAA's Airport Improvement Program, which is what makes this type of project possible," Peet said.

Kansas has received $28.8 million for airports in 2022 and 2023 from the bipartisan infrastructure law.