PEORIA - The Peoria International Airport will receive $8.4 million in federal funding for runway improvements from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The money will go toward improving 5,650 feet of runway, bringing it in line with FAA standards. A section of one of the runways has deteriorated significantly in the roughly two decades since it was last renovated, according to Gene Olson, the director of airports at the Metropolitan Airport Authority of Peoria.

"You can get by with a pothole on a road," he said, "but we can't with a runway, because you're dealing with heavy vehicles that don't have that many wheels and they're traveling at pretty good rates of speed."

Olson said he expects construction to begin in the spring of 2023 and finish in the fall, with no significant disruptions to the airport's operations.

"Commercial passengers should not notice anything at all," he said.

More:With $15M in funding, new air traffic control tower coming to Peoria International Airport

Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, a Democrat who represents the 17th US House district in Illinois, announced the funds in a press release this week.

"During my decade in Congress, I’ve always been focused on working hard and getting results – and in my final year in office, I’m committed to continuing to bring home federal resources to our communities,” Bustos said in the release. "This investment will quite literally pave the way for continued growth at this vital local institution.”

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The announcement marked the second allocation of federal funds to Peoria's airport this month. On July 7, the FAA announced a $15 million grant for the construction of a new air traffic control tower to replace an outdated building that first opened in 1959.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria airport to receive millions in federal funding. Here's why