PENN TWP — The $22 million runway expansion at Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport will benefit the entire county, said county commissioner Kim Geyer.

“(The commissioners) think the facility has a lot of potential, more than it is revealing now, so we want to start building a foundation for the future,” Geyer said of the 230-acre property at the end of Airport Road.

Ike Kelly, the airport’s manager, said much of the $22 million needed to extend the runway 700 feet will be spent on excavation, as 1 million to 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt must be moved the end of the runway.

The excavators, heavy equipment and trucks required in such an extensive earth-moving project will be a large expense, Kelly said.

Regarding the total estimated cost of $22 million, Kelly said 90 percent will come from the Federal Aviation Administration, 5 percent from the state Department of Transportation and 5 percent from the airport.

“We have most of that,” Kelly said.

He said the benefit of the runway extension, in addition to allowing pilots to load more people, equipment or fuel on their planes, is the enhancement of safety for aircraft operations.