Arlington airport eyes future, gets $5M in new federal funding

ARLINGTON — Over $5 million in federal funding will go toward rehabilitating asphalt at Arlington Municipal Airport.

Seven airports across Washington received a total of $48 million through the federal Airport Improvement Program, U.S. Sen Maria Cantwell announced Sunday.

The new federal money will pay to fix taxiways at the city-owned airport, parts of which have not been replaced in three decades, said Airport Director Marty Wray. Another ramp dates back to World War II. The asphalt project will cost about $6.7 million in total.

“It’s not falling apart, but it’s not going to last forever,” Wray said. “This is part of our plan to make all our services viable for the foreseeable future.”

Runways at Arlington’s airport, meanwhile, were resurfaced recently and are in “really good shape,” Wray said Tuesday.

The airport creates about $500 million in business revenue, according to a 2020 state Department of Transportation study.

“Puget Sound is a major gateway for travelers and businesses in Washington state, and our airports are critically linked to our economic strength,” Cantwell said in a press release. “This funding will help rehabilitate infrastructure and build electric charging infrastructure at general aviation airports in Arlington and Olympia, and fund studies to reduce aviation noise and impacts to the environment at SeaTac Airport.”

The airport plays host to Arlington Skyfest, a popular aviation event that draws thousands of visitors each year.

Last year, Washington airports received nearly $200 million in federal funding, according to Cantwell’s release.

The Arlington airport is also beginning work on its 20-year plan, an endeavor airport officials hope will be finished in the next two years. It will essentially provide a roadmap for future improvements.

The city will also conduct a separate “airspace obstruction survey.” The two projects will cost about $833,000, mostly paid for by Federal Aviation Administration grants.

Other projects at Arlington Municipal Airport include new fencing and finishing a solar panel installation.

Nearby, the Snohomish County Council approved sending Paine Field’s new master plan to the FAA last month.

Arlington will look at that airport’s future plans, as well as others around the region to influence what will be included in its own master plan.

“We are constantly in communication (with them) to kind of figure where’s our niche, what’s going to be the demand here and try to plan for that,” Wray said.

Paine Field, for example, offers a growing number of commercial airline flights, with projections at about 4 million annual passengers in two decades. Arlington Municipal Airport had three commercial boardings in 2023, according to FAA data. What Arlington offers, however, is space for private aviation — something that could go away at Paine Field as the airport turns to increases in passengers and cargo.

Arlington’s airport might end up being a player in those discussions.

“That’s probably not going to happen as much there, as costs go up,” Wray said. “So they start looking for other things in other places.”

Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; X: @jordyhansen.