Funds expected for Bluffs airport

Expansion work is set to begin at the Council Bluffs Municipal Airport.

The airport expects to receive federal money any day to use for improving the area where planes that bring in people for special events are parked, according to Dan Smith, director of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority.

Smith said it’s not uncommon now for the airport to park up to nine planes bringing in baseball fans for the College World Series.

“The old area is 40-year-old concrete,” he said.

The money will be used to improve the pavement in the area in front of the airport’s main hangar and to expand the area to hold more planes, he said.

The airport is among 22 Iowa airports receiving $72,371 for overall pavement inspections. The findings will be used to develop recommendations for federal money for future rehabilitation projects.

Altogether, two grants totaling $460,525 are coming to Iowa airports from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“This funding will help Iowa improve safety and service at local airports,” Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said through his office.

“We need to determine how to have the best airports within the limited funding that is available, and these studies will help achieve that mission,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.