The Glenwood Springs Post Independent reports that U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-3rd Dist., announced that $17.5 million in federal funding has been allocated to upgrade the runway at Garfield County Regional Airport.

This funding is in addition to the $13.5 million for the same project announced in May. The airport is currently in the second year of a three-year project that will upgrade the runway safety area to better accommodate jet aircraft.

Some of the improvements include expanding the safety area around the runway from 300 feet to 500 feet, new aircraft instrument approaches from the east and west and reducing the slope of the runway by lowering the east end approximately seven feet and raising the west end approximately 14 feet. This will reduce the slope to less that 1 percent across the entire 7,000 foot runway. This year’s work includes moving an estimated 1.8 million cubic yards of dirt and gravel into to the new safety area, and at some locations constructing embankments more than 60 feet high.

Read the entire article at the Glenwood Springs Post Independent.