By Lindsey Doi

EUGENE, Ore. -- A big change is in store for the Eugene Airport as the entire main runway is about to get a facelift thanks to a hefty grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The FAA recently awarded $9.5 million to the Eugene Airport with an additional half million expected to come from Connect Oregon Grants. Those monies will cover the cost of designing and constructing a brand new 8,000 foot runway.

The Director of the Eugene Airport says the runway rehabilitation project is so important because little pieces of the runway are starting to break up. This funding will help remedy the situation before it can cause major problems.

"A runway rehabilitation project is high priority because it's a safety project, so it competed against other airports across the country. We were lucky enough to get the $9.5 million which is great for us, great for the community. It's gonna be a big project, and it's gonna be a welcome addition to have the runway rehabbed," said Director Tim Doll.

The project will take 28 days starting in June. Locally hired crews will work around the clock to complete the new runway by the time summer traffic picks up in July.

In the meantime, all airport traffic will use a parallel runway just several hundred yards away. Doll says the repaving project shouldn't affect travelers. He says all flights will run as normal, with the only difference being an extra three to four minutes in taxi time as the plane travels to the alternate runway.