http://ozarkspub.vo.llnwd.net/o37/KSMU/audio/mp3/federalfun_395.mp3
The Springfield ... Branson Regional Airport will receive millions from the federal government for its multi-million dollar expansion project.
KSMU's Matt Petcoff reports on some recent help the airport received for the project...
To keep up with the expansion of Southwest Missouri, the Springfield ... Branson Regional Airport is building a new terminal.
When completed, the new terminal will replace the existing one, which was built in 1964.
Airport officials say it is no longer meeting the needs of the growing community.
Helping with the project has been the work of U-S Senator Kit Bond and House Minority Whip Roy Blunt.
They announced today that the U-S Department of Transportation has released five million dollars in federal construction funds for the airport.
Kent Boyd is a spokesman for the Springfield ... Branson Regional Airport.
He says the work of these legislators has been key to helping fund this project.
Not only is the current terminal unable to meet today's passenger loads, it's also not accommodating current Transportation Security Administration functions.
In some cases, this means longer lines and slow travel through the terminal.
And, Boyd says having a state of the art airport is important to the commercial growth of an area.
Boyd says airport officials looked into simply improving the existing terminal, but found it cheaper to build a new terminal instead of updating the old one.
He says the new terminal, called the midfield terminal, should be finished by the end of 2008.