Waco Regional Airport is getting an upgrade. Thanks to $4.9 million in funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, $8.2 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $581,795 from the Federal Aviation Administration, improvements are on the way for the airport, which serves as one of the region's key transportation hubs. The grants will pay for resurfacing and repairing runways, completing the construction of a runway safety area, and other maintenance and safety improvements to the taxiway and terminal.

Not only will the upgrades create construction jobs, but they will also boost the airport's services to passengers. Recently, the terminal at Waco Regional was expanded to accommodate three separate passenger gates and two passenger boarding bridges. In addition to free parking, the airport allows travelers in Central Texas to avoid the stress of driving to airports more than an hour away in Dallas, Austin and Killeen.