Morristown Council Approves $15.2 Million in Appropriations for Runway 5-23 Upgrade at Morristown Municipal Airport
Why It MattersThe award shows how a general aviation reliever airport can fund long-running runway upgrades largely through federal programs, with discretionary competitive money carrying most of the weight.
The Morristown town council voted unanimously on October 27 to approve two ordinances totaling about $15,165,000 in appropriations for capital improvements at Morristown Municipal Airport. The legislation states that federal grants account for 95% of the total and will go toward upgrading the airport's main runway, 5-23. The town will allocate $14.4 million from a Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grant, while the New Jersey Department of Transportation and DM Airports LTD will contribute about $377,000 and $380,000, respectively.
A September FAA public disclosure shows the airport secured $14.2 million through the Airport Improvement Program, made up of roughly $9 million in competitive discretionary funding and $5.2 million from its annual federal entitlement allocation. In a November 2024 statement, airport management said the project will span five to seven years and includes extending the runway 5 safety area to support additional runway safety features. The project has been in the works since 2005, and its Phase 11 was completed sometime after November 2024.
The FAA also awarded improvement funds to Atlantic City International, Essex County Airport, Ocean City Municipal Airport and Ocean County Airport in Toms River, but the Morristown grant was by far the largest in the state. The council's vote came more than three years after it approved a $10 million appropriation for the airport, which, according to NorthJersey.com, funded a new taxiway and runway renovations.
