Some of these projects include:

Runway Status Lights: Over $250 million in contracts to design and install runway status lights at airports around the nation. These runway and taxiway lights help pilots know when it is safe to enter, cross or take off on a runway.

Air traffic tower earthquake protection: Nearly $20 million in construction and engineering contracts to make stronger air traffic towers in earthquake prone areas.

Weather Research: Over $14 million in projects to research NextGen weather technology systems for air traffic facilities and for aircraft cockpits.

The lights are slated for installation at the following airports:

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

New York LaGuardia Airport

Los Angeles International Airport

Newark Liberty International Airport

Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport

Chicago O’Hare International Airport

Charlotte Douglas International Airport

Washington-Dulles International Airport

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Las Vegas McCarran International Airport

The halt of aviation development projects also threatens 46,000 other jobs in businesses related to construction and jeopardizes to cost the government more than $1 billion in revenue from uncollected airline ticket taxes if Congress doesn't solve the problem until lawmakers return to Washington in September.



President Barack Obama urged Congress to extend the FAA's operating authority. The standoff involves House Republicans efforts to change an airline labor rule to make it more difficult for employees to unionize and proposed cuts of $16.5 million in airline service subsidies to rural communities. Senate Democrats oppose both.

According to USA TODAY's analysis of stop-work orders issued by the FAA after Congress didn't re-authorize the agency July 23, 234 development and modernization projects have been halted, and 24 other projects have been partially stopped.



Aviation consultant Michael Boyd says the work stoppages could result in additional costs for the federal government.

"It's expensive to stop construction, and it can be expensive to re-schedule contractors, suppliers and sub-contractors," Boyd says.

The Air Transport Association of America, which represents U.S. airlines, says there's "an urgent need" for a long-term FAA re-authorization.

"The absence of re-authorization creates uncertainty for all sectors of the aviation industry," says Steve Lott, the group's spokesman.

The 10 Biggest FAA projects affected by the FAA funding dispute in Congress:

Contractor	Purpose	Value
Lockheed Martin*	Replacement of air traffic controller displays	$3.5 billion
ITT*	Systems engineering contracts for NextGen air traffic control system	$1.4 billion
General Dynamics*	Systems engineering contracts for NextGen air traffic control system	$1.2 billion
Metron Aviation*	Systems engineering contracts for NextGen air traffic control system	$1.1 billion
Lockheed Martin*	Continuation of computers in 20 air traffic control centers until replacement system is fully operational	$619 million
Sensis Corp*	Airport surface radar safety system to help prevent runway collisions	$390 million
TASC*	Support services for NextGen transition	$384 million
Jacobs Engineering	Architecture and engineering for High Altitude Air Traffic Control Centers	$370 million
Sensis Corp*	Runway lighting systems that help prevent collisions	$214 million
SAIC	Support contract for airport surface radar system	$104 million
* = Project partially stopped