Contact: Ernie Blazar 202-224-2627 Shana Stribling 202-224-0309
Monday, July 30, 2001

ST. LOUIS - Senator Kit Bond today applauded the beginning of construction to expand the St. Louis Lambert airport. The kick-off for the W-1W runway was made possible by the $10 million in federal funds Bond secured in the 2001 federal transportation bill.

“Today marks the beginning of less crowded passenger air travel and fewer delays from, to and through St. Louis,” said Bond. “Anyone who flies today knows the skies have become less friendly in recent years and the only answer is to increase capacity. More comfortable travel is precisely what W-1W is all about.”

The $10 million Bond directed to Lambert in 2001 are for Phase II of the W-1W expansion program. This program will result in a significant improvement in capacity for St. Louis, which is the nation’s 13th busiest airport. In recent years, a constrained capacity for handling passenger aircraft cost both the airlines and passengers time and money. Just in the last year, the number of major airline flights through Lambert increased to 346,298 from 306,276, a growth rate that exceeds the national average. The number of passengers that use Lambert Field has also increased from 30.2 to 30.6 million in 2000.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and senior Senator from Missouri, Bond has secured millions of dollars for the St. Louis Lambert airport. The funds have gone for equipment, air traffic control towers, cable loop re-location, TRACON and runway expansion. The W-1W project is expected to cost over $2 billion through completion.

“The best way to guarantee future economic growth is to make sure that our infrastructure is up to par,” said Bond. “This is exactly the right kind of investment at the right time.”