CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — More than a million dollars from the federal government is going to two Central Illinois airports to help improve their runways.

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth announced on Friday that they secured FAA entitlement funds for Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield and University of Illinois Willard Airport in Savoy. The money will go toward the rehabilitation of the airports’ runways.

“By improving airport infrastructure, we are laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability,” Durbin said his and Duckworth’s announcement. “This federal funding will upgrade the airports’ infrastructure and promote economic growth. I will continue working with Senator Duckworth to ensure our state’s regional airports have the necessary federal resources.”

“Illinois’s airports are critical economic engines for our state,” Duckworth said. “I’m proud to join Senator Durbin in announcing this federal funding to help modernize and improve infrastructure at Willard Airport. I will continue working to make traveling safer and more reliable for all passengers while ensuring that our communities are receiving the much-needed federal resources they deserve.”

Lincoln Capital Airport received over $940,000 while Willard received $400,000.

Tim Bannon, the Executive Director of Willard Airport, told WCIA that the money going to his airport will be used for surveys on the runway and the environmental impacts the project will have. He described their plan as “multifaceted,” which will include excavating and replacing the current runway by 2028 and the installation of new signage and lighting on the runway.

The surveys will also help them determine what material the new runaway will be made out of. The current one is concrete and asphalt.