Juneau airport tower roof grant hinges on October deadline and fast-track design

Staff at Juneau International Airport are working under a tight federal deadline after the FAA awarded a $963,247 Airports Terminal Program grant for the air traffic control tower's roof, hatch, and access ladder. All three components are original 1987 construction. The total estimated project cost is $1,013,944. The Juneau International Airport Board is scheduled to consider at its July 9 meeting whether to commit $50,697 from the Airport Capital Reserve as the required local match, a step that would authorize the forward-funding needed to proceed.

The reserve held $109,876 as of July 2. Approving the match would consume nearly half of that balance in a single draw. Airport Manager Andres Delgado told the board at its May meeting that the fund balance was not as healthy as they would have liked, and that they initially proposed close to $800,000 in contributions to the Capital Reserve account, but it was whittled down after Alaska Airlines gave their feedback. Therefore, they laid out a $0 contribution to the Capital Reserve.

Grant Timeline and Design Work

The FAA originally set an October 1 deadline for the final grant application. Staff secured an extension to October 30, 2026, after determining the original window was too tight to complete design and bidding. An RFP for design services closed July 10. Staff must reach bid-ready status by mid-September to stay inside the grant window, with construction scheduled to begin May 1, 2027.

Of three Airports Terminal Program applications JNU submitted, only the roof project was selected. Two other air traffic control tower repair and replacement applications were not awarded, leaving those needs unfunded.

Federal Context

The FAA's program targets sponsor-owned towers at smaller and regional airports. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced in February 2025 that 41 contract tower airports across 24 states would share $85.8 million for sponsor-owned tower repairs, part of a broader $836 million federal push to address aging air traffic control infrastructure.