A $7.1 million runway rehabilitation project at the Santa Maria Airport is nearly complete, part of a federally supported effort to modernize infrastructure and improve safety at one of the region’s key transportation hubs.

The project, which began earlier this year, focuses on rehabilitating 3,400 feet of the airport's 8,000-foot Runway 30, which has not seen major upgrades in over three decades.

“That section of runway, I believe the last maintenance it had received was in '93,” said Martin Pehl, general manager of the airport. “We did maintenance on it about a year and a half ago, but the last time it was rehabilitated was ‘93, so it was overdue for some work.”

According to Pehl, the paving portion of the project was completed in September.

“We have to allow the asphalt to cure for

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