Jonesboro Gets Millions to Upgrade Airport

JONESBORO, Ark. – Big things are happening at the Jonesboro Municipal Airport.

The city is receiving $5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo announced Tuesday.

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The grant will support construction of a new terminal, after the old one and numerous hangars were destroyed in the March 2020 tornado. The Airport Commission will add to the grant with $1.3 million in funding, Airport Manager George Jackson said.

It brings the total that the city has obtained for the airport since the tornado to over $20 million, said City Communications Director Bill Campbell. The city had received $11 million for an overlay through several grants, some of which were sought prior to the tornado. That portion has almost been completed, allowing the airport to handle heavier planes. The city then obtained $5 million was to lengthen and thicken runways, allowing for heavier planes to fly in and out of Jonesboro.

Mayor Harold Copenhaver said the upgraded airport will allow larger traffic and more traffic to come through the city, not just for events in Jonesboro, but for regional events.

“The industry impact is immeasurable,” Copenhaver said. “The university impact for commercial airlines to come in here for games and participants and obviously the individual traffic, it’s significant. It’s over $20 million dollars [in grant money]. It’s a big part of our growth. It’s just one part of it, but it’s a big part.”

The grant will support construction of a new terminal, after the old one and numerous hangars were destroyed in the March 2020 tornado. The Airport Commission will add to the grant with $1.3 million in funding, Airport Manager George Jackson said.

“This EDA grant will help ensure that Jonesboro Municipal Airport has the infrastructure needed to increase shipping services, expand regional travel, and create more good paying jobs that will transform the local economy,” Raimondo said.

Mayor Copenhaver said this fills a need he has talked about with Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, and Rep. Rick Crawford, since taking the mayor’s office in 2021. He also thanked the East Arkansas Planning and Development District for its work with EDA.

“This is just another commitment from Sens. Boozman and Cotton, and Rep. Crawford to our airport and its significant impact on our community,” Copenhaver said. “With this funding, plus the $5 million that was allocated in a number of grants last year, air travel to and from Jonesboro is going to be much better for decades to come.”

Boozman noted the importance of Jonesboro’s economic contributions as the anchor of northeast Arkansas, as well as the extensive damage of the tornado that ripped through the heart of the city.

“The community rallied together to rebuild and revitalize opportunity that this grant will accelerate through rehabilitating and upgrading key travel infrastructure,” Boozman said. “I’m pleased this investment will further the recovery effort by improving the airport’s functionality and potential for growth, and in turn benefit the entire region.”

Jackson said hearing word of the announcement made Tuesday a special day at the airport.

“This pivotal support will undoubtedly propel our regional growth and enhance the airport’s vital role in the Northeast Arkansas,” Jackson said.

The funding comes from the federal Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2023, which provided $483 million in Economic Adjustment Assistance to areas that suffered major disasters in 2021 and 2022.

adapted press release