Four Minnesota airports, including MSP, win federal money for upgrades

Several airports across Minnesota have received nearly $25 million in federal funding to upgrade their terminals as part of a broader $1 billion effort by the federal government to improve airports nationwide.

The biggest chunk of the money — $ 21.3 million — will go to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which will use the funding to upgrade its main terminal. The other Minnesota airports receiving funding are in Glencoe, Preston and Bemidji.

All told, some 85 airports — four of them in Minnesota — will take part in the Federal Aviation Administration program that was crafted out of President Joe Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The purpose of the program is to expand capacity at airports, increase energy efficiency, promote competition and provide greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

The FAA historically has invested in runways, traffic control towers and back-of-house infrastructure. But this program has shifted funding priorities.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the projects will help meet future demand for travel and make flying safer and more efficient.

"I don't think anybody could look at airports across America today and say that the existing system and existing levels of funding have been adequate," Buttigieg told reporters.

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith issued a joint news release to hail the funding, saying in respective statements that the airport investments "serve as a down payment on the long-term economic well-being of our state" and will make the airports "more modern, safe and efficient."

At MSP, the funding will support several projects in Terminal 1, including the replacement of six passenger boarding bridges with modifications for ramp or walkway improvements to enhance passenger accessibility.

The money also will help pay for the first phase to replace the main terminal's iconic folded plate roof and the replacement of an electrical substation serving the baggage system, checkpoints and airport police operations, according to Jeff Lea, spokesman for the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC).

The Fillmore County Airport in Preston will receive $950,000 to replace a 41-year-old facility that's in poor condition and does not meet the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA) requirements.

The Glencoe Municipal Airport will receive $712,500 to construct a new general aviation terminal to meet ADA requirements, including LED lights and water conservation fixtures.

The Glencoe airport's current 1,000-square-foot terminal was built in 1970 for $22,000, according to City Administrator Mark Larson. The building has no air conditioning and is served only by electric baseboard heat.

Outside, "we currently only have a holding tank at the airport for septic with no drain field," Larson said in an email. The project will include a septic system and possibly a new well.

The Bemidji Regional Airport will receive $95,000 to modernize and expand the security screening area. Karen Weller, the airport's executive director, said the screening area will be reconfigured in a more efficient manner.

SkyWest, a Delta Air Lines affiliate, provides four flights daily from Bemidji to MSP, as well as six to eight Sun Country charters to casinos in Laughlin, Nev., annually.

"We are a very busy general aviation airport," Weller said. The airport also accommodates corporate flights, flight training services, air ambulances and planes that patrol pipelines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.