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The grants from the Federal Aviation Administration reflect a considerable jump from last year's $1.2 million, primarily because the county has more projects this year, airports director Paul Andres said.
"It's also a factor of what the projects are," he said. "Those with safety improvements rise to the top of the FAA's list, and ours all have safety implications."
This year's money is expected to pay for about 95 percent of all the infrastructure projects at the two county-owned airports.
Most of the money -- about $2.47 million -- is earmarked for the Hilton Head Airport because of its commercial service.
It will help fund a new $2 million fire station and nearly $400,000 in drainage work. About $150,000 will be used to clear tall trees on the south end of the runway, airport officials said.
At the Beaufort County Airport on Lady's Island, about $1 million will be used to resurface the runway, improve visual navigation systems, remove tree obstructions and resume a master plan process recently halted by county administrator Gary Kubic. Kubic was concerned that the plan called for extending the runway 1,600 feet into a salt marsh, Andres said.
The county expects to split the remaining costs of the projects with the state, with the county spending about $91,000, Andres said.
"These projects are essentially fully funded," Andres said. "That has not always been the case in the past."
County officials prefer the airports to be self-sufficient, but they have periodically loaned them money.
In 1995, the county fronted money for the Hilton Head commercial terminal. It loaned money in 2003 to build the control tower and, in 2006, for aircraft taxi lanes around hangars.
