October 18, 2016 - 4:24 PM
LAS VEGAS - The nation's top aviation administrator has marked completion of a long-delayed air traffic control tower at McCarran International Airport that officials say cost $111 million.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta joined local and state officials Tuesday dedicating the new tower, which took five years to build.
At 352 feet, the FAA says it's the second-tallest airport tower in the nation.
It replaces a 200-foot Las Vegas tower the FAA started using in 1983.
Work began in May 2011, but was delayed by government shutdowns in 2011 and 2013 and a massive construction error in the tower duct work.
The facility has two top levels for air- and ground-traffic controllers to monitor aircraft at the nation's eighth-busiest airport.
It also has a four-story Terminal Radar Approach Control office building with space for up to 20 controllers at a time.
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This story corrects the overall cost of the project $111 million, not $90 million previously reported.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016