Across the country, small and mid-sized airports do a lot of quiet, unglamorous work by connecting rural communities, moving cargo, training pilots and launching medical flights — and they generally only make the news when issues arise, including the deterioration of their facilities.
The upkeep of these airports helps keep regional aviation safe, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) just announced a significant investment in airports throughout Minnesota.
MnDOT says it will award $8 million in total for improvement projects at 39 airports across the state, from busy runways in Duluth and Rochester to small municipal fields in towns most travelers have never landed in.
What The $8 Million Actually Pays For
The grants will fund 57 projects overall, covering pavement improvement and turf rehabilitation, crack repair and the removal of obstructions on runways and taxiways.
Other dollars go toward stormwater pollution prevention planning, fuel pump replacements, facilities upgrades and security lighting.
Since fiscal year 2022, this same grant fund has supported more than 260 safety projects statewide, all financed through the State Airports Fund rather than the general budget.
“Minnesota airports act as economic catalysts for all corners of the state, providing crucial transportation hubs to connect people, businesses and emergency services and vital centers for aviation training and job development,” said MnDOT Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger.
Upgrades That Reach Every Corner
The list stretches from the Canadian border to the southern state line and from the metro to the western prairie.
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Duluth International Airport and Duluth Sky Harbor Airport both made the cut, along with Roseau Municipal up north, Worthington Municipal in the southwest and Rochester International in the southeast — a reminder that these upgrades reach well beyond the Twin Cities into the Minnesota communities that depend on general aviation every day.
Every Airport On The List
Here are all 39 airports receiving grants, with links to those that have an official home online:
- Airlake Airport
- Backus Municipal Airport
- Bemidji Regional Airport
- Bowstring Airport
- Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport
- Brooten Municipal Airport
- Clarissa Municipal Airport
- Dodge Center Municipal Airport
- Duluth International Airport
- Duluth Sky Harbor Airport
- Fairmont Municipal Airport
- Fergus Falls Regional Airport
- Granite Falls Muni — Lenzen-Roe-Fagan Memorial Field
- Hawley Municipal Airport
- Hill City-Quadna Mountain Airport
- Litchfield Municipal Airport
- Little Falls / Morrison County Airport
- Longville Municipal Airport
- Mankato Regional Airport
- McGregor – Isedor Iverson Airport
- Morris Municipal Airport
- Northome Municipal Airport
- Orr Regional Airport
- Owatonna Degner Regional Airport
- Pipestone Municipal Airport
- Remer Municipal Airport
- Rochester International Airport
- Roseau Municipal Airport
- Sauk Centre Municipal Airport
- Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport
- Springfield Municipal Airport
- St. Cloud Regional Airport
- St. James Municipal Airport
- Starbuck Municipal Airport
- Stephen Municipal Airport
- Two Harbors Municipal Airport
- Waskish Municipal Airport
- Willmar Municipal Airport
- Worthington Municipal Airport
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It is easy to overlook a runway you never use. But when a crop duster, a life-flight helicopter, or a business flying in a new employee all share the same patch of pavement, safe airports become an investment in the whole community — not just the pilots who use them. This round of funding spreads that investment to all corners of the state, one small field at a time.
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Gallery Credit: Jessica Williams