City leaders voted 7 to 0 in favor of a grant that will bring needed improvements to the RDU airport. According to the accepted numbers, the city will receive a minimum $ 3,483,220 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. It would be used to repave and rehabilitate Runway 5R-23L at the airport, and improve airfield lighting.

According to airport officials the "project consists of re-surfacing, re-grooving, and re-marking Runway 5R-23L and adding paved shoulders. It includes re-wiring and updating airfield lighting circuits serving Runway 5R-23L and Taxiway E for reliability and safety improvements. It includes upgrading the electrical regulators and switchgear serving the east side of the airfield. It involves replacing various airfield lights and signs with LED light fixtures to decrease energy consumption and various other minor improvements."

According to RDU officials, the approval of this grant was needed promptly to fulfill the FAA's June 20th deadline to receive the grant.