$3.5 Million Improvements Coming To Ocean County Airport

BERKELEY, NJ — More than $3.5 million worth of federally funded improvements are coming to the Ocean County Airport.

The four-phase rehabilitation project began construction in late June and will be completed by early fall. It includes repaving and repairs to more than 95,000 square yards of the airport's apron, which leads to taxiways and runways, Ocean County Commissioner Joseph H. Vicari said in a release.

“The total cost of the apron rehabilitation project is $3,514,399, of which $3,497,732 is
funded by the Federal Aviation Administration,” Vicari, liaison to the airport, said. “The county’s contribution is $16,667.”

The rehabilitation will match with the apron expansion that was completed in 2020. That $1 million project was also funded by the FAA, Vicari said.

John P. Kelly, Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners, said the airport is a vital transportation hub and economic link, not just for Ocean County but also for the entire region.

“In recent years the county in partnership with the FAA and the state of New Jersey has continued to invest in the airport,” Kelly said.

A second runway that was added in 2014 was one of the airport's biggest improvements.

“The crosswind runway has greatly improved safety at the airport and was also designed to protect the sensitive Pinelands environment surrounding the facility,” Kelly said.

Since 1991, about $40 million in upgrades has kept the airport a state-of-the-art facility.

Nearly $30 million of that funding came from the FAA or the New Jersey Department of Transportation - Division of Aviation, Vicari said.

“Both the state and federal governments understand the importance of this airport and have jointly invested with us to maintain a modern and safe faculty,” Vicari said.