The Office of U.S. Senator John Hoeven said Oct. 22 that Hoeven joined Federal Aviation Administration and Grand Forks International Airport officials to break ground on a new $74 million air traffic control tower at the airport in Grand Forks.
According to the announcement, the new tower will replace a facility built in 1987 and stand 197 feet tall, compared with the current tower’s 104 feet. It will include a 650-square-foot tower cab and a 22,800-square-foot base building, and is expected to become operational in December 2029.
The announcement said the project received funding through the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Tower Replacement program, and that Hoeven worked to secure funding as a member of the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Committee.
The new tower is also expected to be among the first facilities nationwide to showcase the Trump administration’s Brand-New Air Traffic Control System, the announcement said. Congress provided $12.5 billion for the nationwide air traffic control modernization effort through the Working Families Tax Cut Act, according to the release.
The release said Grand Forks International Airport recorded 320,996 takeoffs and landings in 2025. It also noted other airport projects: a $60 million reconstruction of the primary runway, including $40 million in federal funding, is expected to be completed in 2028; an extension and reconstruction of the crosswind runway, a $70 million project with more than $50 million in federal funding, was completed in 2024.
