The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) has received $9.2 million in federal funding to advance the fourth phase of the South Cargo Project, a plan to enhance the cargo operations of T.F. Green International Airport.
The funding, which was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Airport Improvement Program, will be used to build a new cargo apron that will be adjacent to the existing cargo building. The apron, which is currently under construction, will be approximately 5,800 square yards, and once completed, it will add 60,000 square yards of additional cargo apron space.
When finished, the project is expected to create new jobs and boost the local economy.
“T.F. Green Airport is more than a convenient airport for passengers, it is also a hub for commerce,” said Rep. Seth Magaziner. “This federal funding will help enhance T.F. Green’s cargo operation, creating jobs and expanding the local economy.”
The South Cargo Project is part of a broader plan to relocate cargo operations from the 80-year-old airport hangar on the north side of the runways to the south side of the airfield. The project is expected to result in improved facilities that can accommodate both current and projected shipments.
“Our airports are engines of economic growth. I’m pleased to work with my colleagues to help land this grant for RIAC to improve and expand T.F. Green Airport’s cargo operations to better serve tenants and drive Rhode Island’s economy forward,” said Senator Jack Reed, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
The funding for the project is coming from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Biden in November 2021. The law will allocate an estimated $45 million to Rhode Island airports over the next five years.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) assisted a What’sUpNewp journalist with the reporting included in this story.
