Kansas City, Mo. ? Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta on Thursday announced $25.8 million in federal grants for improvements at Missouri airports.

Springfield-Branson Regional Airport will get the largest grant, $6 million, Mineta told reporters at Kansas City International Airport.

KCI will get $5.9 million to renovate its tarmac and Columbia Regional Airport will get $734,391 for an ongoing tarmac expansion, Mineta said. Another 47 general aviation airports across the state will share the remaining $13.1 million in grants, he said.

Springfield’s grant is part of a larger federal gift for extending the airport’s crosswind runway, refurbishing the primary runway and building two new parallel taxiways, said airport spokeswoman Sherry Wallace.

Wallace said the airfield, which handles about 70 flights a day, needs the upgrade to match the region’s growth.

“Our airport and region have been growing consistently over the last 20 years,” she said. “This gives us more capacity so we can comfortably land and take off any commercial aircraft.”

The airport hopes to have the projects completed by year’s end.

KCI’s tarmac renovation, completed this winter, includes a new drainage system for de-icing fluid, said KCI spokesman Joe McBride. The system collects fluid in a pond before routing it to a sewage treatment plant, he said. Formerly, the fluid drained to a nearby lake, posing a health risk to fish, he said.

In Columbia, the money will fund the expansion and a new ramp from the tarmac to the taxiway. Both projects are under way.

Mineta said a more secure and efficient transportation system is critical for quick response in the event of future terror attacks.

Mineta also said that Americans are returning to air travel after traffic dropped in the wake of the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings in Washington and New York City.