Bob Hope Airport to Receive Stimulus Funding for Safety Upgrades
| Monday, March 30, 2009 | Contact: Sean Oblack (202) 225-4176 |
Bob Hope Airport to Receive Stimulus Funding for Safety Upgrades
Funding to create local construction jobs Washington, DC – Today, Congressman Adam Schiff lauded the Department of Transportation’s announcement that the Bob Hope Airport will receive $3.5 million for safety upgrades on three taxiways. The funding is part of the stimulus package approved by Congress earlier this year and will help create approximately 35 local construction jobs. “This is great news for Burbank. This funding meets the stated goals of the stimulus – to create jobs quickly and improve our transportation system,” said Schiff. “This is a worthwhile investment improving passenger safety at Bob Hope Airport and helping to boost the local economy.” These stimulus funds will be spent quickly as the bill intended. The airport has already started collecting bids on the project, and it expects to award the contract in mid April and work on the project to start in early May. This project will complete the rehabilitation of the Bob Hope Airport taxiway system. The funds will be used to repave and restripe three taxiways at the airport. These taxiways are badly deteriorated with some as old as 20 years. Older deteriorated taxiways have loose gravel and impediments that can damage airplane engines. Repaving these taxiways will reduce the potential hazard to jet engines. Restriping the runways will increase safety by improving visibility for pilots maneuvering on the taxiways.