UNAUTH RWY ENTRY OP. CLRNC INTERP. PHRASEOLOGY AND TAXI RTE INCIDENT.

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FLT WAS CLRED TO TAXI TO RWY 16L FROM GATE VIA TXWYS A AND D. RWY 16R CLOSED FOR CONSTRUCTION. AT RWY 16R AND TXWY D GND ASKED ABOUT THE PROGRESS OF CONSTRUCTION. I ANSWERED. AS WE APCHED RWY 16L I LOOKED FOR TFC; SAW NONE AND CONTINUED ACROSS. AS THE NOSE ENTERED THE RWY AREA I SAW A PIPER CHEROKEE 6 ON FINAL. IT WAS TOO LATE TO STOP SO I SPED UP TO CROSS FASTER. ABOUT THAT TIME THE CTLR SAID 'HOLD SHORT.' I SAID IT WAS TOO LATE AND WE HAD NOT BEEN TOLD TO HOLD SHORT EARLIER. HE TOLD THE CHEROKEE TO 'GAR.' WE CROSSED SO FAST THAT HE RECLRED THE CHEROKEE TO LAND. THE CHEROKEE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WHILE LISTENING TO GND ON TAXI IN AND DURING OUR ENG START FOR THIS LEG I HEARD HIM GIVE 'TAXI RWY 16L VIA --- HOLD SHORT OF RWY 16L.' BECAUSE I DID NOT GET HOLD SHORT I WAS IN THE MINDSET THAT I WAS CLRED TO CROSS -- FORGETTING THE OLD BASIC THAT 'TAXI TO' IS PERMISSION TO CROSS ALL RWYS EXCEPT THE ACTIVE. WE GET SO USED TO BEING TOLD WHERE TO HOLD SHORT SO OFTEN THAT WHEN IT IS NOT SAID WE FORGET ABOUT THIS EXCEPTION IN THE BASIC RULE ABOUT TAXIING. I KNOW MANY PLTS THAT DO NOT KNOW IT. IT IS A POLICY OR A SIT THAT WILL GET SOMEONE HURT ONE DAY. THAT THE FO SWITCHED THE RADIO FROM GND TO TWR AS WE WERE APCHING THE INTXN WITHOUT TELLING ME DID NOT HELP. IF GND SAID HOLD SHORT JUST BEFORE WE GOT THERE I DID NOT HAVE IT AND WHEN TWR SAID IT; IT WAS TOO LATE. THE WHITE CHEROKEE AGAINST HIGH CIRRUS CLOUDS WITH NO LNDG LIGHTS ON MADE IT HARD TO SEE HIM AS I LOOKED FOR TFC ON FINAL UNTIL I WAS 1/3 OF THE WAY ONTO THE RWY.