MDOT grants to 17 airports

Grants from the Mississippi Department of Transportation have been awarded for more than $3 million to 17 statewide airports, including $31,300 to Columbus’ Golden Triangle Regional and Starkville’s Bryan Field. The Columbus grant will help lay groundwork for expansion of Mississippi State University's SMART bus system to a waiting area at GTR; and $45,485 to George M. Bryan Field in Starkville for two pieces of ground support equipment. GTR Executive Director Mike Hainsey said the funding will pay for a bus shelter similar to the ones SMART uses in Starkville. The Starkville-MSU Area Rapid Transit is a public transit system operated by MSU. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 07/29/15) Central Mississippi Note: One recipient of a 2015 MDOT grant, Stennis International Airport in Bay St. Louis, received an additional grant matched by the FAA to acquire an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle.