Federal Grant Brings $51 Million to Līhuʻe Airport Safety Upgrades
U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced a Department of Transportation grant of $51,315,736 to support continued runway and airfield improvements at Līhuʻe Airport. The funding accelerates an ongoing project that local residents rely on for safe, reliable travel and strengthens airport operations through 2026.
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Līhuʻe, Kauai County. U.S. Senator Brian Schatz announced on November 7, 2025 that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $51,315,736 to Līhuʻe Airport for continued runway and airfield improvements. The grant is the latest federal injection into a multi year effort to modernize runway geometry, safety areas, airfield lighting and electrical systems, bringing the project to more than $100 million in federal funding to date.
The funding will contribute to the relocation of Runway 3 21 to establish proper runway safety areas and buffer zones. Work also includes upgrades to taxiway and takeoff geometry, replacement of outdated lighting and signage with energy efficient LED systems and the installation of new conduits and wiring. Project planners expect the renovations to be completed in 2026.
Airport improvements are being framed primarily as safety and reliability upgrades. By bringing pavement, lighting and navigational geometry into compliance with contemporary standards, the project aims to reduce operational risk and improve the predictability of arrivals and departures for residents, visitors and the interisland connections that many Kauai families depend on.
For the local economy the upgrades carry broader implications. Līhuʻe Airport serves as Kauai's primary commercial gateway, handling tourism traffic that supports hotels, small businesses and service industries across the island. Federal investment in the airport helps maintain the infrastructure that underpins those economic flows while modern lighting and electrical systems may lower operating costs and increase resilience to outages.
Residents can expect construction activity to continue during the next year, as runway relocation and systems installation require phased work to keep the airport operating. The project timeline calls for completion in 2026, and the scale of federal funding reflects long standing national priorities to bolster aviation safety and infrastructure, particularly at island airports where weather and limited alternative transport routes make reliability critical.
The grant adds to a broader stream of federal support for the airport, pushing total federal contributions beyond the $100 million mark. That cumulative funding signals sustained federal attention to Kauai's airfield, aligning local needs with transportation policy and safety objectives set at the federal level.
As work continues through 2026, county officials, community organizations and residents will monitor impacts such as construction schedules, temporary traffic patterns at the airport and any changes to flight operations. The federal grant announced by Senator Schatz provides the financial foundation to complete the current phase of improvements, with the stated goals of safer runways, improved operational reliability and long term benefits for travelers and airport operations across Kauai County.
