COLORADO CITY, Ariz. (AP) —The airport grounds in Colorado City, Ariz. just increased.

The public airport was built in the 1960s with dirt runways that were paved in 1991. The land that the federal government conveyed to the town, along with some private land, nearly doubled the size of the airport property.

“The land conveyance will have a substantial, positive impact for the airport, the community and the many visitors who fly into the area each year for business and to access nearby recreation areas like Water and Squirrel Canyons, and Grand Canyon and Zion National Park,” said Michael Herder, the Arizona Strip District manager for the Bureau of Land Management.

The town had sought control of the land, an action that was analyzed in an environmental review. About 10,000 people live in the region, including in the sister towns of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah, at the foot of picturesque red rock cliffs.