Hays ? A new runway scheduled to open next month is expected to help the city’s economy while improving airfield safety.

The 4,500-foot-by-75-foot crosswind runway will allow pilots to land at the Hays Regional Airport from four directions.

Monty Smith, a member of the Hays Airport Advisory Board, said the second runway makes the airport more desirable for future commerce.

Airport manager Terry Urban said he is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony sometime during the first two weeks of September.

The runway includes space for an airplane to turn around on each end and eliminates the problem of landing a plane while fighting a strong crosswind.

Construction began in April on the section where the new runway crosses the existing runway.

The airport once had a small, grass strip that served as a crosswind runway, but that was eliminated in the mid-1990s. Because the region is prone to high winds, city leaders felt a crosswind runway was needed.