Governor Pat Quinn along with Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider announced Wednesday a 9 million investment dealing with 19 airport projects across the state.
The State funding includes the Rochelle Municipal Airport. The city will receive $630,000 in grant money for construction of a partial parallel taxiway along with grading and drainage work. There will also be pavement work at Kortiz Field.
The city's cost for the project will be $70,000.
The city has been in the process of extending their runway to 5,000 feet. It's currently at 4,226 feet.
Construction is scheduled to begin this year and be completed in 2014. The airport currently has 42 planes.
Illinois' aviation system is compromised of nearly 80 publicly owned airports and is vital to a healthy econony. A recent study indicated that Illinois airports contribute more than 40 billion dollars to local economies.
