(Springfield, MO) -- Pilots taking off at Springfield-Branson National Airport will be taking a new approach.
On Monday, officials cut the ribbon on the airport's new taxiway. It's known as taxiway "W" or "Whiskey," and runs parallel to the runway.
It's 5,400 feet long and 75 feet wide. To withstand the weight of large jets, it has concrete that's 15 inches thick, with a sub-base that's more than a foot deep.
It eliminates the need for planes to cross the runway. Airport leaders say this will reduce the chance of a ground collision.
They also say the project put money into our local economy.
"Along with that went jobs," says J. Howard Fisk, who serves on the airport board. "Two years of jobs for over 100 men on this site. In addition to that, there was all the material. Nearly 36 inches of material that's underneath where we are standing today."
The airport paid for the project with federal stimulus money -- totaling $14,878,026. It's one of 306 airports that received recovery money. Only eleven airports received more than $14 million.
The airport had already planned to build a new taxiway before it received the federal funding.
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