Along with enhancing safety, the planned upgrades will support and help generate more economic activity and tourism for the state, according to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation on Monday.

“Airports are a critical part of North Carolina’s transportation system,” said N.C. Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation Director Bobby Walston. “Completing these projects will increase the safety of these facilities while also maintaining the link these airports provide our state to the national and global economies.”

Projects and estimated costs include:

Albert J. Ellis (Jacksonville) Airport: lighting, signage and electrical vault replacement — $1,400,000

Billy Mitchell (Hatteras) Airport: repaving — $1,200,000

Coastal Carolina (New Bern) Airport: runway repaving — $3,000,000

Duplin County Airport: runway widening and improved lighting — $4,000,000

First Flight (Kill Devil Hills) Airport: repaving — $1,000,000

Kinston Regional Airport: runway and taxiway repaving — $8,000,000

Laurinburg Maxton Airport: taxiway repaving — $2,000,000

Ocracoke Island Airport: repaving — $1,200,000

Rockingham-Shiloh Airport: runway repaving — $3,600,000

Statesville Airport: taxiway parallel construction — $8,000,000

Tarboro-Edgecombe County Airport: runway repaving, updating airfield lighting and repairing damage caused by Hurricane Matthew — $2,000,000

Statewide airport data from 2016 shows aviation contributed more than $31 billion in annual economic impact to the North Carolina economy, including 123,400 airport-related jobs.

With the exception of the Albert J. Ellis Airport project, which will be funded 90 percent by the state and 10 percent locally, each of these safety projects are completely state-funded, according to DOT. The funds being used are allocated for safety, operations and maintenance.

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Original article derived from The News&Observer.