SALISBURY — Rowan County’s Mid-Carolina Regional Airport has received just over $1 million in state and federal funding to resurface its taxiway.

The airport is one of only three projects approved by the North Carolina Board of Transportation at its September meeting.

Airport Director Kevin Davis said airport officials identified a need with the existing taxiway system as work was completed on runway renovations.

The system, along which aircraft move to and from the runway, had not been resurfaced in many years, Davis said. Airport officials worked with the DOT to request funding for the needed repairs.

Repairs will include overlaying the taxiway system with milling and leveling it to make sure the surface is flat and no water collects over it.

The restoration will keep the airport in compliance with federal regulations, Davis said.

“This is a huge grant for us,” he said. “When this is complete, … 85 percent of the airport’s asphalt will be less than two years old.”

Davis said the grant is a “tremendous achievement,” adding it includes some resurfacing of the southern ramp that will make all paved sections of the airport flush.

The total cost for the project will remain uncertain until work is completed, as survey work is just beginning. Davis said this means the final tally could come in below the approved $1 million in funding or the airport may need to request additional money.

Resurfacing should begin in the spring of next year, completed section by section without affecting the airport’s day-to-day operations, he said.

All told, the state Transportation Board approved $1.8 million in funding, including $685,800 for development at theCharlotte-Monroe Executive Airport and $65,000 for design and construction of a total-perimeter fence at Montgomery County Airport.

Davis said the state support shows the significance of Rowan’s airport.

“It kind of proves the value of our airport in the national airspace system,” he said. “It proves we’re an important part of that.”

According to a news release, North Carolina airports and aviation-related industries contribute more than $31 billion to the state’s economy each year, with 123,400 airport-related jobs in the state.