The Hawaii Department of Transportation has been awarded two grants totaling $17 million from the Federal Aviation Administration to upgrade the fire safety systems at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
The funding comes from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which passed in 2021.
The first grant of $7.3 million will replace the fire alarm system at the International Arrivals Building in Terminal 2. The second grant of $9.7 million will fund upgrades to the fire sprinkler system in Terminal 2. HDOT plans to put the two projects out to bid in Spring 2025.
“The upgrades made possible by this new federal funding build on our efforts to modernize HNL for now and the future,” said Senator Brian Schatz, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, in a statement.
Schatz wrote Federal Aviation Authority Administrator Michael Whitaker, asking him to support the funding requests made by the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
“We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Biden Administration, the FAA and our congressional delegation, as we continue to invest in upgrades to our fire detection and suppression systems at airports statewide,” said Hawaii Director of Transportation Ed Sniffen.
The FAA previously allocated almost $42 million for improvements at airports in Honolulu, Kona, and Kahului.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information from the Hawaii Department of Transportation. (Oct. 31, 2024)