$300K Grant Will Help Build New Hangar At Ocean County Airport

BERKELEY, NJ — A nearly $300,000 federal grant will assist the county in constructing a new hanger at the Ocean County Airport, officials announced.

“This new hangar, once completed will provide six units for storing larger general aviation aircraft,” Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Joseph H. Vicari, liaison to the airport, said in a news release. “The demand for hangar space continues to increase. This will be the sixth hangar to be constructed at the airport.”

The federal funding comes from the Airport Infrastructure Grant program and was supported by Congressman Chris Smith.

The overall cost of the project is estimated at about $4 million, according to officials. The county anticipates going out to bid for the new hangar around February 2024 and work could begin in the spring of 2024. Construction is expected to take about two years.

The size of the new hangar is approximately 20,000 square feet and it will be pre-engineered steel building on a concrete foundation.

“There is already interest from airplane owners for the future space,” Vicari said.

Vicari noted that since 1991, about $42 million has been spent on various improvement projects at the Ocean County Airport.

“About $32 million has come from grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the New Jersey Department of Transportation,” he said.

Over the years, Vicari said, the county has constructed a crosswind runway at the airport, a new terminal building and a host of other improvements.

“Safety is paramount at the Ocean County Airport,” Vicari said. “The County staff and the fix based operator work in partnership to provide the safest and best facility possible.”

The Ocean County Airport covers 822 acres of the Robert J. Miller Airpark, Route 530, in Berkeley and Lacey townships. A precision approach facility, it features two runways and a heliport, and accommodates private planes, corporate jets, and emergency services aircraft. Tenants include the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, the Civil Air Patrol, the Ocean Air Support Squadron, and facilities to house aircrafts for emergency medical transports.