Bob Poulin, left, and Ken Blais pull an airplane from the hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn in 2018. Sun Journal file photo Buy this Photo

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced a $3.2 million grant Tuesday for the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport. It’s the third Federal Aviation Administration grant this year toward an upcoming $8.5 million project, Airport Director Rick Lanman said.

The FAA grants total $7.7 million. The balance is being paid for by state and local funds.

Lanman said the project includes resurfacing the large runway, reconstructing the short runway all the way to the subsurface and adding new LED lights.

Jets can land at 100 mph or faster, Lanman said. Work on the large runway “will make us a better, all-weather airport, because when we resurface it next spring, we’re going to also groove it, which allows water and whatever else to seep off and it keeps airplanes from hydroplaning.”

Work will start this fall. The entire project is forecast to be complete in fall 2020.

This story was originally published as part of  “The Buzz: Downtown Lewiston takes flight with new wings mural.” Have a Buzzable tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.