MOLINE, Illinois — Construction at Quad City International Airport will stop if Illinois doesn't pass a budget by Thursday at midnight.
Currently, the airport has active projects underway, including updating lighting and signs on the taxiways and runways. Construction crews would be let go if the funds aren't approved.
"The projects that we have going on right now are some new signage projects. It's about a $1.2 million dollar project, contractors working diligently to get that completed. On Thursday at midnight they've got to shut it down, and lay people off and not be able to come out to the airport until this thing gets taken care of with the state of Illinois," said Bruce Carter, Director of Aviation for Quad City International Airport.
Most of the funding comes from the federal level, but that money gets filtered through the state first, so it's being held up by the Illinois budget impasse. The state of Illinois' fiscal year comes to a close on the last day of June. If a budget isn't passed by then, construction at Quad City International will stop.
The signage projects affected involve new energy-efficient LED signs which direct traffic on the taxiways and runways; 115 have already been installed. Exposed wiring still sets around the signs, unfinished work that won't get done without a budget. A new precision approach path indicator (PAPI) for the primary runway is scheduled to be installed; it too will not get done without a budget.