A $4.44 million grant will go toward the rehabilitation of the Porterville Municipal Airport Taxiway. Google Earth image

The City of Porterville announced Friday it has been awarded $4.44 million in federal grant money to go toward the rehabilitation of the Porterville Municipal Airport taxiway.

Awarded by the US Department of Transportation through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Airport Improvement Program (AIP), the grant will pay for 90% of the project to rehabilitate the parallel taxiway.

The project will also reconfigure three connecting taxiways to meet FAA geometric standards.

The project is part of a multi-phase improvement plan to provide significant upgrades to the airport over the coming years, including a shift of the runway, increasing its length from 6,000 feet to 7,800 feet. The eventual runway upgrades will enable the operation of large jet aircraft.

The City of Porterville praised the support of House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who has supported the city’s pursuit of federal grants and other improvements to the Porterville community.

The Porterville Municipal Airport opened in 1942 as a training base during World War II. In 1948, the airport was converted into a municipal airport, and it currently serves as the regional Air Attack Base for CalFire and the US Forest Service, and also serves as a facility for a variety of other aviation services.