Pullman-Moscow airport gets $11.8M grant
Recent FAA funding will go toward new terminal building
The Federal Aviation Administration awarded $11.8 million to the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport on Thursday for its new terminal building.
The funding was one of more than 90 competitive grants — totaling nearly $1 billion — that the federal agency awarded to airports around the United States, as part of its Airport Terminal Program.
Pullman received one of the largest awards in the country for a community of its size.
This is just the latest of several FAA grants the airport has secured for the new terminal, which has an anticipated price tag of about $61 million.
It will have an initial size of about 40,000 square feet — nearly five times the size of the existing terminal building. That includes an interior jetway, so passengers can board flights without having to walk out onto the apron.
There will also be a substantially larger parking area, and the building will be expandable so additional jetways can be added as passenger service grows and funding becomes available.
Besides the federal funding and some state transportation grants, the cities of Pullman and Moscow are contributing $2 million each in local funds to the project. Whitman and Latah counties and the University of Idaho are contributing another $400,000 each. Washington State University has promised $600,000.
The new terminal will be located near the west end of the airport property, across Airport Road from the All Fabrication and Supply shop. Construction is set to begin by the end of July or early August.
Thursday’s grant awards were the initial installment from the $5 billion in airport terminal funding that was included in the $550 billion Biden infrastructure bill, which Congress approved last fall.
Other regional projects that received funding include:
Spokane International Airport — $11 million for Phase I of its Concourse C terminal expansion.
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — $11 million to renovate and improve accessibility for airport restrooms and for various energy efficiency measures.
Boise Airport — $960,000 to replace an aging boiler and add skylights.
Spence may be contacted at bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.
