BWI Gets $12M Grant To Expand Runways, Serve More Passengers

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- It is one of the nation's fastest-growing airports. Now, thanks to a multi-million dollar grant, BWI-Thurgood Marshall has more money to expand.

As Gigi Barnett reports, this is just one more improvement that will make BWI a favorite for passengers.

Years of construction shows at BWI-Thurgood Marshall Airport. Now armed with a $12 million grant, BWI says more improvements are on the way. This time, the airport is giving its runway an upgrade.

"The pavement is over 20 years old there, so you can imagine all of the wear and tear from all of the aircraft landing and taking off every day," said BWI Executive Director Paul Wiedefeld.

And those flights keep on coming. Last year, the airport tracked a record number of passengers and recently, the airport unveiled plans to upgrade its oldest section, Concourse C. Earlier this month, two more airlines announced their arrival at BWI.

The airport says work on the runway is already underway.

"No impact on the customers. Basically, we're working with the airlines and the FAA tower to make it invisible to the customers," Wiedefeld said.

Angela Green and her family just returned from Jamaica. The Silver Spring resident says she chooses BWI often over other area airports but she knows a new and improved runway could bring more fellow passengers with it.

"I'm not sure what that's going to do to us as passengers, but if they're going to improve the runway because they're improving the airport, I guess that's long overdue," Green said.

The airport says construction on the runway should be complete in September, long before the holiday rush begins.

The $12 million grant is just a small portion of a $350 million project designed to bring the airport's runways up to federal safety standards by 2015.