"It's kind of like winning the lottery, in a sense," Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara said during a conference call in which Gore identified 11 recipients of $55 million in airport-improvement funds.
"If we have one serious problem with the airport, it's the noise," McNamara said. "These dollars will be spent in a very good way."
As the nation's 13th busiest airport, Detroit Metropolitan has begun a $1.6 billion expansion, including construction of an $850 million mid-field passenger terminal to be completed in late 2001.
That project, officials have said, should alleviate many of the problems at the aging, overcrowded airport criticized in recent months as being unfriendly to fliers. A survey of 90,000 passengers nationwide ranked Detroit's airport last among 36 for overall quality.
Houses to be soundproofed with the latest Federal Aviation Administration grant include 55 each in Wayne County's Huron Township and the city of Romulus. The funds also are intended to buy land and provide relocation assistance for some affected homeowners, Gore said.
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