“Grateful.” That was the reaction of Lester Robinson, chief executive officer for the Wayne County Airport Authority, upon receiving news this May of $15 million in stimulus funds for a crucial rehabilitation of a crosswinds runway in Detroit.
Five months later, Ajax Paving Industries Inc., Troy, Mich., is about 80% complete on the $34-million reconstruction of a 8,700-ft-long runway at Detroit Metro Airport. “The stimulus allowed us to accelerate construction to complete the runway in one construction season versus two,” says Steven T. Wiesner, senior project manager for the airport authority. “We would not have received enough money in one year to do so otherwise.”