Boxer Praises $13.9 Million Grant to Complete Air Traffic Control Tower in Palm Springs

Federal Aviation Administration Grant Will Create Jobs, Benefit Passengers at Palm Springs Airport

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer today praised the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement that the City of Palm Springs will receive a $13.9 million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the completion of a new air traffic control tower at the Palm Springs International Airport.

Senator Boxer said, “Building a new air traffic control tower at the Palm Springs International Airport is a critical project that will create 150 new jobs, generating much-needed economic activity in the Coachella Valley. When completed, the new tower will allow for better management of congestion and will help ensure the safety of airline passengers.”

Palm Springs International Airport is the only international airport serving the Coachella Valley’s expanding population. The existing air traffic control tower at the airport, built in 1967, is insufficiently high, which puts some areas of the airport beyond air traffic controllers’ view and complicates management of growing traffic at the airport.

A higher tower will make the Palm Springs Airport safer for the airport’s travelers and local residents, and it will enhance controllers’ ability to do their jobs. The new tower will be 127 feet tall and will meet all current FAA standards. Construction will use energy-efficient materials and will begin in May 2010. The tower is expected to be finished in May 2012.

Senator Boxer has worked to secure funding for the project, including $2 million in the FY 2010 omnibus appropriations bill to replace the outdated tower.