Federal funding likely to fall short for new RDU runway

MORRISVILLE, N.C. (AP) - The president of Raleigh-Durham International Airport says federal funding for a runway replacement will likely fall far short of what was initially expected.

Michael Landguth tells The News & Observer that he expected half or more of the estimated $350 million cost to be covered by the federal government, but Federal Aviation Administration officials have told him to expect only around 10 percent of the cost.

RDU officials plan to use politicians and business groups to make the case for more funding. The FAA couldn’t respond to the newspaper’s request for comment because of the partial federal government shutdown.

The federal agency approved the airport’s 25-year master plan in December 2017. RDU plans to build a runway more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) long to accommodate nonstop flights to Asia.

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Information from: The News & Observer, http://www.newsobserver.com