Glacier Park International Airport has received a $1.2 million federal grant that will pay for a number of infrastructure improvements at the airport.

“This is our entitlement grant,” Airport Director Cindi Martin said. “We program these [infrastructure] projects to maximize all the money we’re entitled to, based on enplaned revenue passenger numbers from the past two years.”

The federal money will fund the final phase of construction to modify 2,300 feet of terminal access road and will pay for the design phase to rehabilitate 101,600 square yards of the existing airport apron to maintain structural integrity of the pavement.

The grant funding also will pay for the design phase of improving the terminal wastewater treatment facility and the installation of an exhaust system in the aircraft rescue and firefighting building to allow vehicle maintenance.

A new snow plow, further security enhancements at the airport and a computer-based interactive training system for airport employees are other projects to be covered by the grant.

The airport also plans to buy close to 18 acres to enhance protection for the Runway 2 approach, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which awarded a total of $7.3 million to four Montana airports. Bozeman, Great Falls and Stevensville airports also received grants for upgrades.

With passenger traffic up 5.8 percent already this year at Glacier Park International, the airport is poised to receive even more entitlement funding in the future, Martin said.

During Martin’s 10 years as airport director, more than $34 million has been invested in both entitlement and discretionary grant funding.

Upgrades in recent years have included the reconstruction of the full length of the taxiway, rehabilitation of the crosswind runway, expansion and a redesign of the airport entrance road system and installation of a traffic light on U.S. 2.

A terminal remodel was a big piece of the upgrade, too. It included a security checkpoint expansion, revamped restaurant and gift shop space and revolving exit doors between the secure area and airport lobby.

The airport parking lot was expanded, and this spring the rental car area was expanded and improved to make it easier for customers to pick up and return rental vehicles.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Martin said about the investment in airport improvements. “Carriers have expanded service and we’re already down the road to earmark [future] projects.”

Ninety percent of airport capital improvements are funded with federal appropriations, with the remaining 10 percent matched by the Flathead County Airport Authority.

Airports are required by the Federal Aviation Administration to outline six-year capital improvement programs and prioritize how federal money is spent for capital projects.

The airport authority will begin the next round of master planning for the airport this fall, Martin said.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.