Sen. McConnell attends ribbon cutting for safety enhancement project at Blue Grass Airport

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A safety enhancement project at Blue Grass Airport that’s been in the works for nearly a decade is now finished.

The project was designed to ensure operational safety on the airfield and improve the efficiency of aircraft movement on the taxiway.

Just like roads, taxiways become congested with planes waiting to get to their gate, or get the okay for takeoff. This $100 million project is helping alleviate those delays by accommodating growth the airport is seeing.

More than 1.4 million people flew in and out of Blue Grass Airport in 2019, and the airport says their infrastructure has to be able to handle the growing number of travelers.

The Taxiway Safety Enhancement Program incorporated a new taxiway that gives a second access route to the airport parking apron. On Thursday, Senator Mitch McConnell was there for a ribbon cutting on this new project, saying during the pandemic, Kentucky’s strong air infrastructure made the commonwealth a critical player in keeping the country moving.

“Today we start a new chapter of quality and service in Lexington. The past year has only served to highlight the importance of regional hubs like the Blue Grass Airport,” McConnell said.

“As non-glamorous as these things sound, they are crucial components in serving the traveling public. As most of you know, moving airplanes needs to happen seamlessly,” Elizabeth Woodward said.

As the airport finishes this project, work is already getting started on a runway rehabilitation project which includes paving the airport’s 7,000-foot main runway.

That paving project will force the airport to close the runway for 72 hours between August 19-22.

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