FAA spending millions at airports to address near collisions

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday that it is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce near collisions at airports.

“The FAA is serious about ending runway incursions and we are putting substantial resources behind our efforts,” Associate Administrator for Airports Shannetta Griffin said in a statement. “In some cases the best way to address safety risks is modifying or reconfiguring existing airfields — these grants directly address those situations.”

The agency said in the release that it will spend another $121 million to mitigate the risk of runway incursions. This funding will support projects to “reconfigure taxiways that may cause confusion, install new lighting systems and provide more flexibility on the airfield.”

There have been a number of close-call collisions at airports over the past year, and since last October, there have been 1,495 runway incursions, according to FAA data.

The FAA defines a runway incursion as “any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft.”

Boston Logan International Airport was awarded the highest amount across all airports to support a new project that will simplify the airfield layout. The FAA said the Boston airport will use $44.9 million to remove and repair taxiways “to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and to minimize foreign object debris.”

The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport also received nearly $40 million to simplify its airfield layout. Other airports, including Ronald Reagan Washington National and Richmond International, received awards to help prevent further incidents.