After years of ground work and sub-base construction, pavement will soon begin being installed on the Grand Junction Regional Airport’s new runway thanks to $38 million in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration that was announced Friday.

This new Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant doubled what the airport had received through its normal FAA grant process so far in 2025, Grand Junction Regional Airport Executive Director Angela Padalecki said.

“This is a huge boost to the program,” Padalecki said. “We said all along that we’re moving at the speed of funding because this is primarily an FAA funded project. With this extra funding, it really keeps us on track for that 2029 accelerated runway opening date that we’ve set.”

With this grant, GJT has been awarded more than

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