The Colorado Department of Transportation approved $13.8 million in funding for a statewide aviation grant program. In total, airports in Colorado will receive just over $18 million in grants when state and local money is fully allocated.

In the metro Denver area, Centennial, Colorado Air and Space Port, Erie, Denver International Airport and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport will receive just over $2.8 million in grant awards in 2025.

Statewide, the biggest award from CDOT is going to the Walden-Jackson County Airport for runway reconstruction. The $4.1 million grant award is being combined with a $460,000 local grant for a total of $4.6 million.

Three airports are also set to receive grant money as part of a push to bring unleaded aviation fuel to smaller, general aviation airports. The fight over leaded fuel in airplanes has led to many high profile lawsuits targeting Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport and an effort to outright close Boulder’s small municipal airport.

“I am thrilled to see this transformative infrastructure funding which will go towards 31 improvement projects at 27 public-use airports across the state, including the Board’s award of three grants that will facilitate and incentivize the general aviation industry’s continued transition to unleaded aviation fuels,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a news release. “These state investments in local airports will support local economies, improve travel efficiency, and enable even more people around the state and country to experience amazing parts of Colorado.”

A bill last year — introduced by Reps. Kyle Brown and Shannon Bird and Sens. Steve Fenberg and Rachel Zenzigner — sought to reduce aviation impacts on communities, created some incentives for airports and pilots to transition to unleaded aviation fuel. The bill required $1.5 million per year in grant money be designated for “aiding and accelerating” the transition from leaded to unleaded aviation fuel, with “priority given to airports with significant general aviation traffic in urban and suburban areas.”

The bill was signed into law by Polis in May.

The Colorado Aeronautical Board will meet in mid April to discuss and approve a second round of discretionary aviation grants. These will support “a number of federally-funded airport projects,” CDOT said.

The agency also emphasized its commitment to “advancing aviation infrastructure” statewide, highlighting the more than 345,000 jobs and over $75 billion in economic impact the state’s airports generate.