WEST PADUCAH, Ky. — The Barkley Regional Airport Authority received notification Tuesday from Congressman James Comer’s office that had received a federal discretionary grant for $8,180,685 million to complete Phase II of its Runway 5/23 Rehabilitation project.

“We are grateful to Congressman Comer and the FAA for this grant,” said BRAA Executive Director Dennis Rouleau. “The Runway Rehab project is a key piece in our vision for the future of Barkley and is something that we hope can lead to us expanding our offerings here at the airport. This grant allows us to continue to pursue our vision of the airport playing a key role in the economic development of the region in the near and distant future.

“We absolutely could not have done this without our Board of Directors, who always work so tirelessly on our behalf, and Sandra Wilson and the Paducah Chamber of Commerce, who have always been such great advocates for the airport,” Rouleau continued. “We also want to thank Governor Andy Beshear and the state legislature for their 10-percent local match of approximately $810,000, which will come from a previously awarded $5.3 million in funding.”

While the bidding process has concluded, construction is not expected to begin until the spring of 2024 to allow the submittal process to be completed and parts, including runway lighting, to be ordered. The contract for the project has been awarded to Jim Smith Contracting of Grand Rivers, Kentucky.

Once construction begins, the project is expected to take roughly five months to complete. Due to its sheer size, all electrical work on the project will be completed by both Mott Electric and Story Electrical Service, both of Paducah.