Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) today announced the awarding of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant for Lakewood Airport in Ocean County, N.J.

    The $405,000 grant will be used for the final phase of improvements to runway 6/24, funding the remaining construction of a taxiway serving the end of the runway.

    “This funding is slated to upgrade Lakewood Airport operations to new FAA standards, allowing planes to more safely use the facility,” Smith said.

     As a safety measure for pilots, the FAA recently decided to facilitate the phase-out of parallel taxiways and replace them with perpendicular taxiways, according to the Airport Director Steve Reinman. Construction could begin as early as this fall and take several months to complete, depending on the weather.

     The airport, located in Lakewood Township’s Office Industrial Park, is less than 40 minutes flying time from numerous East Coast metropolitan international airports.

     “The taxiway improvements will allow safer and more efficient operations at the Lakewood Airport, which is an important complement to the Lakewood Office Industrial Park and helps foster economic activity in the area,” said Smith.

     Lakewood Airport is classified as a general aviation facility by the FAA.

    Congressman Smith, who represents New Jersey’s Fourth Congressional District in the House of Representatives, has offices in Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. The Monmouth County office is located at 112 Village Center Drive, Raintree Towne Center, 2nd floor. The phone number is (732) 780-3035. The Ocean County office is located at the crossroads of Route 539 and Route 537 in Plumsted, and constituents can call the office at (609) 286-2571.

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