U.S. transportation secretary visits Duluth Airport, home to one of the nation's oldest control towers
By WCCO reporter Ashley Grams
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy visited Duluth International Airport on Saturday to tour one of the oldest air traffic control towers in the nation.
"We'd play Atari back in the 80s, right? Old school. That is like rockstar technology compared to what they are using here," Duffy said at a post-tour news conference.
Built in the 1950s, the tower is running on equipment the secretary calls old and antiquated. The FAA said this outdated tower has seen a 10% uptick in traffic over the last year.
"Congress gave us $12.5 billion as the down payment for upgrading this system," Duffy said, referring to the "big, beautiful bill." "Now, it's not all that we need. We need $31.5 billion, but the $12.5 billion that we do have is going to go to new radar, new voice switches, new radios, new telecom."
While touting congressional funding for towers across the nation, Duffy said Minnesota will need to step in to round out the cash needed for the job in Duluth.
"We're going to continue to work with all of you to ask you to get some more money from the state and local government," he said.
The Minnesota Legislature allocated $10 million to the cause earlier this year in the state's transportation budget, bringing the funding to about $34 million. But an airport spokesperson said the project totals $72 million.
"We know that the air traffic control tower is going to be 100-and-some-feet higher," said U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown. "The sight lines are going to be better."
Even if the nation's aging infrastructure is brought up to speed, towers across the U.S. still need more employees.
"We're about 3,000 air traffic controllers short right now, and I've said many times, we can't flip a switch and turn on more controllers," Duffy said.
A CBS News investigation earlier this year found about 90% of U.S. airport terminal towers don't have enough air traffic controllers, including Duluth and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
"This is a problem that is decades in the making," Duffy said. "It's going to take months, if not years, to get us to full capacity, but we're doing it."
Duffy said they're offering cash bonuses to controllers who are at retirement age and fast-tracking the highest-scoring applicants through the academy.
The office of Minnesota Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar says she secured $6 million earlier this year for Duluth's control tower, and $10 million last year — an issue she brought up to Duffy during his confirmation hearing.
"I have worked with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to secure $16 million over the last two years to replace this air traffic control tower, one of the oldest in the country," Klobuchar said in a statement sent to WCCO. "Duluth International Airport is a critical lifeline for the entire Northland, and it deserves an air traffic control tower that is not 70 years old. The Administration should continue funding this essential project."