(KAIR)--A Federal grant has been awarded for the construction of a new runaway at Atchison's Amelia Earhart Airport.

According to a release from the city of Atchison, the Federal Aviation Administration on October 5  announced the award of more than $479 million in airport infrastructure grants for 123 projects across the country.  

The release says the Amelia Earhart Airport was the only project selected in Kansas with a 100% federally funded grant of $6.1 million.  

The city says the new runway will be 4,000 ft. long and 75 ft. wide compared to the existing runway, which is 3,000 ft. long and 48 ft. wide.

The city purchased around 113 acres of land about 10-months ago for the project. The purchase was funded by a 90 percent federal grant with the local 10 percent match coming from a private donation.