Completion is in sight for an airport project in southern Michigan that's been going on for 17 years.
The Jackson Citizen Patriot reports a new runway at the Jackson County Airport opened for use in September, but a few finishing touches remain.
The airport built the new runway because the old one didn't have enough runoff space to accommodate updated Federal Aviation Administration regulations.
The new runway has 5,350 feet of landing space with 1,000 feet of runoff area. Without that length, numerous corporate aircraft would have to find a different airport to use. That would result in the airport and the community losing out on business.
The airport manager says nearly $50 million was spent on the runway, with most of the money coming from federal grants.
