The airports in Ruston and West Carroll Parish will benefit from more than $300,000 in federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Ruston Regional Airport will receive about $250,000 for the first phase of a runway extension project. The airport’s goal is to extend the runway to 6,000 feet to help it better meet the operational needs of the planes who use the airport.
"We are very excited about this grant, which will allow us to start the design phase for a much-needed runway extension that will enhance our city and Louisiana Tech University. We look forward to continuing to grow our great city and university," said Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker.
The Kelly-Dumas Airport near Oak Grove in West Carroll Parish will receive $49,500 for the first phase of a project to build a taxiway. The taxiway will be 550 feet and will eliminate the need for planes to back-taxi on the runway.
“Rural airports are a tremendous economic asset to our communities," said Oak Grove Mayor Adam Holland. "Enough cannot be said about the leadership of the Kelly-Dumas Airport for constantly searching and fighting for every federal dollar they can find to make our airport one of the best rural airports in the Northeast Louisiana Delta.”
“We thank Congressman Abraham and all of the Louisiana Congressional Delegation for their support in helping the airport reach its goals.”