SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP) - Construction work on a full-length taxiway that will run parallel to Spearfish's airport runway is expected to be completed by the fall.
Black Hills Airport/Clyde Ice Field manager Ray Jilek says crews have built a culvert on False Bottom Creek to meet 100-year floodplain requirements and the taxiway is about half done.
The airport was awarded a $3.15 million Federal Aviation Administration grant to help pay for the upgrades.
The current taxiway stretches a little more than a third the length of the runway. That forces airplanes taking off or landing to use the runway for taxiing, which ties up the runway for aircraft trying to land.
Officials say it's both an inconvenience and a safety hazard.
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