Airport receives more federal funding for runway
Credit: Cumberland Times-News, Brandon Glass
WILEY FORD, W.Va. — The Greater Cumberland Regional Airport recently received $1.15 million in federal funding to continue its runway upgrade project.
The money was part of $9.2 million announced last week by U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen (both D-Md.) and U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) for runway reconstruction and rehabilitation projects at airports in Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore.
“Modernizing our airports will help our state and our communities meet economic demand today and in the future,” Trone said. “With this federal support, the Greater Cumberland Regional Airport will create and maintain high-quality jobs and deliver safer and more efficient service to passengers and regional businesses.”
The local airport will continue work on its 5,048 feet of runway. The allocation will go toward the runway safety area and designing other areas of the airport infrastructure, said Ryan Shaffer, the airport’s general manager.
“It will be a continuation of the project,” he said. “We’re in Phase 5. This will be a portion of Phase 6.”
In December 2021, the airport received $257,422 in funding as part of the American Rescue Plan.
Prior to that, the airport received $4.1 million in federal money for infrastructure and runway upgrades as part of a multi-year, $30 million project, which includes a business park adjacent to the facility.
The project, Shaffer said, will take another five or so years to complete.
