Airport to pay more for runway expansion

TUPELO — The Tupelo Airport Authority has agreed to a $267,000 increase requested by the company building a runway extension.

Century Construction asked for the increase after losing access to its resource for “fill dirt.”

Century bid around $5.2 million to extend the runway by 650 feet.

Century president Colin Maloney says the company lost access to a nearby dirt pit and now must drive a little further away to get the dirt.

Tupelo Airport director Josh Abramson says the increase was capped at $267,000, expenses could be lower.

Officials say work should begin about mid-January and the project should take about seven months to complete.