Stafford Regional Awarded $5.77 Million

Just a couple of weeks after receiving two grants (totaling more than $271,000) from the Virginia Aviation Board, Stafford Regional Airport has received a $5.77 million federal grant to extend its runway from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet.

The federal money will support the environmental work that is required to lengthen the runway.  This Phase 1 work includes construction of sediment ponds, soil and erosion preparation and prevention, tree clearing, and moving approximately 350,000 cubic yards of soil.

This project has been on the drawing board since 2013, when the Federal Aviation Administration approved an update to the Stafford airport’s master plan, which resulted from an in-depth environmental review and assessment.

Under typical grant funding guidelines, FAA would pay 90 percent, the Commonwealth of Virginia would pay 8 percent and the airport authority would pay 2 percent of a project’s cost.  But, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the FAA will cover 100 percent of the cost of Phase 1.

Phase 1 is expected to take approximately 290 days to complete, and Phase 2 work could be complete about one year after the project is awarded.