August 27, 2025

Duckworth, Durbin Announce More Than $8 Million for Central Illinois Airport Improvements

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced a total of $8,293,999 in federal funding for infrastructure improvements at airports across Central Illinois. This funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration will help improve taxiways, accommodate more passengers and make travelling easier for passengers.

“Illinois’s airports are critical economic engines for our state and the source of jobs for so many working families,” Duckworth said. “I’m glad to see this federal funding coming to our state at a time when the Trump Administration has continued to revoke so much critical funding across the country. I will keep working alongside Senator Durbin to advocate for federal investments that will make our skies safer, make travelling easier, modernize our airport infrastructure and support economic development across Illinois.”

“By improving airport infrastructure, we are laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability,” said Durbin. “This federal funding for airports across Central Illinois will upgrade infrastructure, improve travel efficiency, and promote economic growth. I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure our state’s regional airports have the necessary federal resources.”

Recipients of funding through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Grant Program include:

  • Decatur Park District (Decatur): $153,126 for acquitting and installing three new wind cones to provide pilots with critical airfield information. This project will also support the reconstruction of existing runway lighting and signage.
  • Central Illinois Regional Airport (Bloomington): $500,1750 to rehabilitate an existing 173,526 square foot parking.
  • General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport (Peoria): $7,640,698 to help rehabilitate and modernize taxiways to ensure long-term pavement integrity, minimize foreign object debris and upgrade lighting installations.

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