The Charlotte/Douglas International Airport will begin construction of a third runway in February.
Officials announced the partially bond-funded project last week. The total cost is estimated to be at least $80 million and will be mostly funded by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Charlotte has sold about $150 million of revenue bonds for the airport since 2003, including the first which the city decided to secure with passenger facility charges. Debt had traditionally been secured by airport revenues, but the financial problems of US Airways - which accounts for 90% of the market at the Charlotte airport - forced officials to seek other security.
Plans had called for the runway to be finished by 2002, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, coupled with US Airways' financial problems, delayed that schedule.
The project, which entails a 9,000-foot runway, is now expected to be completed by 2010.
