Work is underway at the Picayune Municipal Airport to overlay the taxiway and other areas.
Airport Manager Andy Greenwood said the project involves $500,000 worth of work, which will be paid through a combination of a 90/10 grant. Ninety percent of the work is grant funded ($470,000), with the remaining 10 percent split between the city ($15,000) and Mississippi Department of Transportation’s Multimodal program ($15,000).
Overlay work will include the taxiway leading to the runway, the airport’s apron and the areas in between the T-hangars.
The apron is where airplanes are parked in the open. T-hangers provide an enclosed structure to store aircraft.
Work began on Nov. 10, and is expected to be complete by the end of this week, weather permitting, Greenwood said.
The runway is not part of this project because it was repaved about two years ago, Greenwood said.
Last weekend the airport was home to some Army National Guard training where pilots trained in sling hooking Humvees using a Blackhawk helicopter.
Greenwood said traffic at the airport is steady, and has noticed an increase in small jet activity.
The facility is also home to Phillips Aviation, Chevron El Paso Corporation and Cloud Nine. Phillips Aviation provides aircraft maintenance services, while Chevron explores for oil deposits. Cloud Nine offers civilian flight instruction.