By Sudan Britton

Reoccurring water leaks at Lake Charles Regional Airport will soon be fixed after U.S. Congressman Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana, announced the facility will be receiving $2.5 million from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Higgins said the funding will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and will be used to enhance and replace two passenger boarding bridges at the airport.

“This $2.5 million is a solid investment for the Lake Charles Regional Airport,” Higgins said. “The new passenger bridges will improve accessibility and encourage growth at the airport.”

The reconstruction process could take about 12 months for project completion.

Airport Executive Director Heath Allen said he is excited to have the damaged boarding bridges replaced with new, long-lasting equipment expected to last about 20 years.

“Lake Charles Regional Airport is one of two airports in the state of Louisiana to receive this funding,” Allen said. “We are so grateful and want to thank our delegation for the support of this project.”

He said new air services, airlines and mechanical flexibility are other investments the airport hopes to achieve as it recovers from the two-punch destruction of Hurricanes Laura and Delta.

Allen said replacing infrastructure and critical technology is beneficial for the area’s economy in the long term.