Līhuʻe Airport awarded grant of more than $51M for runway improvements project

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawai‘i Democrat, recently announced that Līhuʻe Airport on Kaua‘i was awarded a $51,315,736 federal grant from U.S. Department of Transportation for much-needed runway and facility improvements.

“This new federal funding will help strengthen infrastructure at Līhuʻe Airport, making it safer and more reliable for travelers,” said Schatz, a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing, in an announcement of the grant funding.

The federal funding will be used to complete the ongoing runway project at the airport, which is aimed at improving takeoff and taxiway operations by increasing the runway safety area.

Its primary goal is to improve airport infrastructure and “relocate” Runway 3-21 to meet the Federal Administration’s runway safety requirements after years of temporary fixes and exemptions.

“It might seem like a minor adjustment, but it’s a significant upgrade,” says Hawaiʻi Aviation.

Līhuʻe Airport’s redesigned layout now includes previously absent buffer zones, giving pilots extra room to maneuver during emergencies and lowering the chances of runway overruns.

Meanwhile, there’s a major overhaul happening beneath the surface.

Outdated lighting and signage systems are being removed and swapped with energy-efficient light-emitting diode, or LED, fixtures along the runways and taxiways.

Beneath it all, fresh conduits and wiring are being installed to support the new infrastructure.

The project, to date, has received more than $100 million in federal funding.

Renovations are projected to be finished sometime in 2026.