AASHTO Journal - ALDOT Prepping for Big State Airport Investments

The Alabama Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Bureau is preparing for what is calls “another record year” of investment in the state’s airport system.

[Above photo by ALDOT]

ALDOT noted in a statement that it recently met with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airports District Office in Jackson, MS, to begin coordinating fiscal year 2027 airport projects and funding priorities between the two agencies.

As a result, Alabama airports can expect to receive ALDOT’s annual “call for projects” letter this June. Updated five-year Airport Capital Improvement Plans, with project pre-applications, are also due to the Aeronautics Bureau by late September as part of the agency’s annual planning process.

ALDOT also noted that the state legislature’s appropriation of an additional $15 million annually during the past two legislative sessions reflects a strong and sustained commitment to strengthening the state’s aviation system.

These additional resources significantly enhance its ability to provide matching funds for federal grants, expand the statewide airport pavement maintenance program and address critical infrastructure needs at airports across Alabama, the agency said.

That increased state funding puts ALDOT in a much stronger position to support both federally funded projects and initiatives that fall outside traditional federal grant eligibility, the agency noted.

Concurrently, ALDOT recently awarded more than $2 million in state grants to support improvement projects at nine local airports.

Those grants are part of ALDOT’s Alabama Airport Improvement Funding Program, which provides financial assistance and technical support to public-use airports across the state.

“Local airports are critical to connecting our communities and supporting Alabama’s economy,” said Frank Farmer, bureau chief of ALDOT’s Aeronautics Bureau, in a statement. “This funding helps strengthen infrastructure, improve safety and support essential air services in all parts of the state.”