Feds grant $10 million to Juneau airport to replace support building with ‘serious life safety hazards’

The terminal of Juneau International Airport in 2013. Most airports in Alaska are state owned and operated, but the City and Borough of Juneau owns and operates this one.
The terminal of Juneau International Airport in 2013. Most airports in Alaska are state owned and operated, but the City and Borough of Juneau owns and operates this one. (Photo by Heather Bryant/KTOO)

Juneau International Airport is getting nearly $10 million in federal transportation grant money to replace a sand and chemical storage building.

The work is expected to address “serious life safety hazards” that local airport and state officials have flagged in the existing facility. It was built in 1966 as a hangar and later repurposed.

Federal Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced $205 million in grants on Thursday.

“Most importantly, these improvements will not only expand airport capacity, but improve safety, as well,” she said. “Which as you all know, is my number one priority.”

Chao also touted the grants’ economic impact.

According to the airport’s grant application, the money will also replace an obsolete fueling facility.

John MacKinnon is the executive director of Associated General Contractors of Alaska.
John MacKinnon is the executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska. He lives in Anchorage now, but served four terms on the Juneau Assembly from 1989 to 2001. (Photo courtesy Associated General Contractors of Alaska)

John MacKinnon is the executive director of the Associated General Contractors of Alaska.

He couldn’t estimate specific economic impacts, “But there’s certainly going to be quite a few jobs created for it. A lot of building materials are coming from outside, but there’s concrete and a lot of dirt work associated with it and other things. So, you know, anytime you’ve got a $10 million project in a community the size of Juneau, it’s a big help.”

Local Airport Manager Patty Wahto and architect Catherine Fritz were in Washington D.C. for the announcement.

Juneau’s airport is one of 37 small airports around the country receiving these supplemental airport infrastructure grants. No other Alaska airports were in the mix today.

Jeremy Hsieh

Local News Reporter, KTOO

I dig into questions about the forces and institutions that shape Juneau, big and small, delightful and outrageous. What stirs you up about how Juneau is built and how the city works?

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