DOVER - The Delaware Economic Development Office was awarded $160,000 from the Delaware Strategic Fund program on Monday to help pay for their portion of the environmental engineering costs associated with the expansion of the cargo ramp at the Dover Air Force Base.

The total cost of the study is $480,000 and will be split three ways equally between DEDO, the Delaware Department of Transportation and Kent County.

DelDOT owns the property off Dover's Horsepond Road that's on the northeast section of the base and named the Air Cargo Ramp Hangar Maintenance Facility (formally the Civil Air Terminal).

Kent County owns 13.5 acres of land immediately north of the state-owned land, in the Kent County Aero Park, which would be a necessary component for the expansion project.

The proposed expansion is estimated to cost as much as $17.3 million and should help cut operating costs for civilian air cargo carriers who serve the base. Currently, air cargo carriers serving the base are restricted to a five-hour window for loading or unloading of aircraft on the military ramp.

A request for information from late last year included work on at least a new 2,850-square-yard taxiway; a 60,400-square-yard apron with the ability to accommodate 1 million pound loads; and a 5,000-square-foot ground service building with equipment