FAA releases $15 million for Midway runway safety projects

Officials say a $15 million dollar federal grant went to Midway International Airport on Tuesday for construction to help prevent planes from overshooting their landings.

Federal Aviation Administration Spokesman Tony Molinaro says soft concrete beds will be placed at the ends of two of Midway's four runways.

In April, the city submitted to the FAA a $40 million proposal for the beds. They're lightweight bricks are designed to collapse under the weight of an aircraft and safely slow planes' acceleration.

Molinaro says the money will pay for about half the total project.

The grant comes nearly six months after a Southwest Airlines flight skidded off a runway at Midway and into traffic. The accident killed six-year-old Joshua Woods of Leroy, Indiana, who was riding in a nearby car.

Associated Press