Music City Executive Airport multi-million-dollar construction project set to begin 2023
A multi-million-dollar construction project is set to begin early next year at the Music City Executive Airport in Gallatin.
The project is expected to cost about $3 million, which is about $1 million higher than originally expected due to inflation and rising supplies costs, officials explained.
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“When we originally got the grant for this, as time progressed, costs went up ... so we had to sharpen the pencil and get aggressive on how we could get some more funding, which we were able to do,” Music City Executive Airport Manager Jeff Dunham said.
“We got a couple things going on, we’ve got another ramp expansion that will facilitate about nine more corporate hangers. And then we also have some designs and plans for a new terminal building out here as well.”
Funding includes capital from state, federal and private entities.
“We get grants to build the infrastructure and then we’ve got private companies or individuals that come in and actually put in the capital and build the hangers themselves, which is good for the county,” Dunham said.
“It brings in a lot of really good jobs with maintenance facilities and pilots, I mean there’s a pilot shortage, so companies are paying a lot of money to pilots. It's bringing in a pretty good workforce of people as well."
The ongoing pilot shortage many U.S. and other airports have endured throughout the summer has resulted in numerous domestic and international flights delayed or canceled, Dunham noted.
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As part of the funding package for the airport's construction costs, officials will receive $300,000 over the next five years for infrastructure as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Nov. 2021.
The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration said $550 billion will be provided between 2022-2026 for new infrastructure, including roads, bridges and mass transit, water infrastructure, resilience and broadband.
“It’s pretty significant, so that’s $1.5 million that the airport will receive because of this infrastructural law to help build up the infrastructure out here, modernize the airport and help with the continued development that we’ve got going on,” Dunham said.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com or (615) 517-1285.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Music City Executive Airport multi-million-dollar construction project set to begin 2023
