Puerto Rico Ports Authority lands $8M from FAA for airport upgrades
The Puerto Rico Ports Authority announced it has received $8 million from the Federal Aviation Administration, which it will earmark to cover capital improvement projects in the island’s airport system.
In a release, agency Executive Director Joel Pizá said the specific projects will be:
- The expansion project of the passenger terminal and installation of jet bridges at the Rafael Hernández International Airport in Aguadilla;
- Improve road access outside the operational areas at the Fernando L. Ribas Dominicci airports in Isla Grande, Eugenio María de Hostos in Mayagüez, and Mercedita in Ponce.
- Improving the parking lots and drop-off areas of the Antonio “Nery” Juarbe in Arecibo, José Aponte de la Torre in Ceiba, Hermenegildo Ortiz Quiñones in Humacao, Benjamín Rivera Noriega in Culebra, and the Antonio Rivera Rodríguez in Vieques airports.
“This is one more step in the right direction to achieve a Puerto Rico with better infrastructure at our airports,” said Department of Transportation and Public Works Secretary Eileen Vélez-Vega.
This award comes from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which made about $2.9 billion available for infrastructure projects in more than 3,000 airports throughout the US mainland and Puerto Rico.
In keeping with the grant’s anticipated purpose — whose parameters and final guidelines will be specified by the FAA soon — Pizá pointed out that Ports will propose to the FAA to use the funds to expand the capital improvement program at its airports.
“At the Ports Authority, we’ll be awaiting the publication of FAA’s guidelines and procedures to perfect the corresponding application procedures with the speed that the people of Puerto Rico deserve,” said Pizá.
