Island Sun - Local News - British Virgin Islands

LOCAL NEWS

NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL TO BE READY BY OCTOBER

If all goes according to plan, residents and visitors should be using the new access road to the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport by March and the new terminal building by October this year, according to reports reaching the Island Sun. Airport Development Engineer Mr. Stuart Logan gave the projections as he addressed a general luncheon meeting Tuesday of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association (BVICCHA).

Construction of an expanded state-of-the-art facility began in January 2000 and the project, including a new terminal building and extended runway, should be totally completed by the middle of 2002. The total budget for the project, i.e. land, consultants’ fees and other ancillary costs, is approximately $55M. At the end of December 2000, $47M had been committed and $24M had been certified and paid. There are a number of contracts still to be awarded. These include Package 3 – the construction of a new apron, which will be about three times the size of the existing one, a new control tower and operations block and the equipment for that, the landscaping of all the public areas on the approaches to and around the car parks at the airport, the provision of the public area furnishings and the construction of a sewerage treatment facility for the airport.

Government is finalizing the purchase of two small parcels of land on either side of the runway. The total airport land area is about 143 acres. Eighty-eight acres was in the original airport area, 19 acres has come from the reclamation of Conch Bay and government has purchased a total of 36 acres from adjacent landowners. The first contract - Phase 1A - which covers the passenger building, the cargo building, the landside infrastructure and the new aprons, was awarded in December 1999 to Norde France Enterprises Internationale. They started on site in April. To date, all the foundations are complete and the steel work is being erected, complete to up to 40%. “This contract…is currently running about 10 weeks behind its programme…to me, it’s not acceptable and we will be trying to recoup some of that time during the next few months,” said Mr. Logan.

The contract for the new access roads, car parks and the services to the landside of the terminal building is progressing more effectively, according to the Airport Development Engineer. This contract was awarded to a U.K company, J. McArdle in January 2000. The contractor started immediately and to date, 70% of the work has been completed. Most of the earthworks, drainage and utilities are complete. The remaining building services should be completed by March and the final paving of the roads will be done during the next 4-5 months. The other major contract awarded in September this year went to Philip Holzmann Ltd. of Germany for the construction of the runway extension. This is an extension of approximately 1,000 feet that is being facilitated by the in filling of Conch Shell Bay and the lowering of Conch Shell Point. Work is well advanced on the construction of the new approach road on the western end of the runway, to improve the width of the airfield strip and provide a turning facility for the airplanes. This project is about 2-3 weeks behind schedule.

Several small contracts have also been awarded, including that for a baggage handling system. The equipment should be delivered by July. Minnie’s Landscaping has been contracted to prepare a landscape master plan for the new airport. Government also appointed BAE Systems from the U.K to carry out a management study on how the airport should actually operate. A preliminary report is to be presented to government in February. The tenders for the airside infrastructure, the apron, are in and a contract should be awarded within a month.

The other works for which tenders are to be invited are, between March and May for the landscaping and for the terminal building furniture (a 230-seat unit) in April. Within the terminal building, there are provisions for a restaurant, bar and general concessions. The terms of reference will be finalized and issued between April to August this year. Additional works have been included in the airport project, including the construction of a new control tower and its equipment. Mr. Logan said this is now being
designed and tender documents should be available in May.

According to the Airport Development Engineer, 2001 will be quite a momentous year for the project. He said based on current progress on site, it’s estimated that the new access road from the western end of the runway around the site to Trellis Bay should be opened to traffic in March. All the services, the roads, the car parks for the new passenger terminal and to the cargo building will be completed in July. “The changeover to the new passenger terminal and this is making an allowance for the current position in terms of the contractor’s progress, we expect to move the traffic from the existing to the new area in late September or early October,” Mr. Logan announced. He said the idea is to open the new terminal facility, car parks etc. comfortably before the main peak season for next year, in order to iron out any glitches.

Approximately 30% of the new apron would also be open in October, while the second phase, which will provide an area double the size of the existing apron, will be open by December. The remainder of the apron is projected to finish by April 2002. In terms of the runway extension, Mr. Logan explained that this would give the BVI and the airlines greater flexibility in the types of aircraft that can operate in the territory. For example, American Eagle, which operates 17 ATR 42 flights a day into the BVI is reportedly phasing out these aircraft in the Caribbean and would be interested in increasing the size of their aircraft to the ATR 72’s. “It is not expected that there will be major changes in the places served from the BVI…(but) there will be certainly more capacity for other airlines to come in,” he emphasized.

Reviewing the timetable for the phased completion of works at the new Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport: the new access road at the western end of the runway will be opened in March, the new turning loop at the western end that will increase the capacity of the runway – May/June and the runway extension and its parallel taxi-way – end of December 2000. Apart from completion of a small part of the apron, this only leaves completion of the control tower and operations block, which is anticipated to be completed by mid 2002.

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			LOCAL NEWS

			NEW AIRPORT TERMINAL TO BE READY BY OCTOBER If all goes according to plan, residents and visitors should be using the new access road to the Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport by March and the new terminal building by October this year, according to reports reaching the Island Sun. Airport Development Engineer Mr. Stuart Logan gave the projections as he addressed a general luncheon meeting Tuesday of the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association (BVICCHA). Construction of an expanded state-of-the-art facility began in January 2000 and the project, including a new terminal building and extended runway, should be totally completed by the middle of 2002. The total budget for the project, i.e. land, consultants’ fees and other ancillary costs, is approximately $55M. At the end of December 2000, $47M had been committed and $24M had been certified and paid. There are a number of contracts still to be awarded. These include Package 3 – the construction of a new apron, which will be about three times the size of the existing one, a new control tower and operations block and the equipment for that, the landscaping of all the public areas on the approaches to and around the car parks at the airport, the provision of the public area furnishings and the construction of a sewerage treatment facility for the airport. Government is finalizing the purchase of two small parcels of land on either side of the runway. The total airport land area is about 143 acres. Eighty-eight acres was in the original airport area, 19 acres has come from the reclamation of Conch Bay and government has purchased a total of 36 acres from adjacent landowners. The first contract - Phase 1A - which covers the passenger building, the cargo building, the landside infrastructure and the new aprons, was awarded in December 1999 to Norde France Enterprises Internationale. They started on site in April. To date, all the foundations are complete and the steel work is being erected, complete to up to 40%. “This contract…is currently running about 10 weeks behind its programme…to me, it’s not acceptable and we will be trying to recoup some of that time during the next few months,” said Mr. Logan. The contract for the new access roads, car parks and the services to the landside of the terminal building is progressing more effectively, according to the Airport Development Engineer. This contract was awarded to a U.K company, J. McArdle in January 2000. The contractor started immediately and to date, 70% of the work has been completed. Most of the earthworks, drainage and utilities are complete. The remaining building services should be completed by March and the final paving of the roads will be done during the next 4-5 months. The other major contract awarded in September this year went to Philip Holzmann Ltd. of Germany for the construction of the runway extension. This is an extension of approximately 1,000 feet that is being facilitated by the in filling of Conch Shell Bay and the lowering of Conch Shell Point. Work is well advanced on the construction of the new approach road on the western end of the runway, to improve the width of the airfield strip and provide a turning facility for the airplanes. This project is about 2-3 weeks behind schedule. Several small contracts have also been awarded, including that for a baggage handling system. The equipment should be delivered by July. Minnie’s Landscaping has been contracted to prepare a landscape master plan for the new airport. Government also appointed BAE Systems from the U.K to carry out a management study on how the airport should actually operate. A preliminary report is to be presented to government in February. The tenders for the airside infrastructure, the apron, are in and a contract should be awarded within a month. The other works for which tenders are to be invited are, between March and May for the landscaping and for the terminal building furniture (a 230-seat unit) in April. Within the terminal building, there are provisions for a restaurant, bar and general concessions. The terms of reference will be finalized and issued between April to August this year. Additional works have been included in the airport project, including the construction of a new control tower and its equipment. Mr. Logan said this is now being designed and tender documents should be available in May. According to the Airport Development Engineer, 2001 will be quite a momentous year for the project. He said based on current progress on site, it’s estimated that the new access road from the western end of the runway around the site to Trellis Bay should be opened to traffic in March. All the services, the roads, the car parks for the new passenger terminal and to the cargo building will be completed in July. “The changeover to the new passenger terminal and this is making an allowance for the current position in terms of the contractor’s progress, we expect to move the traffic from the existing to the new area in late September or early October,” Mr. Logan announced. He said the idea is to open the new terminal facility, car parks etc. comfortably before the main peak season for next year, in order to iron out any glitches. Approximately 30% of the new apron would also be open in October, while the second phase, which will provide an area double the size of the existing apron, will be open by December. The remainder of the apron is projected to finish by April 2002. In terms of the runway extension, Mr. Logan explained that this would give the BVI and the airlines greater flexibility in the types of aircraft that can operate in the territory. For example, American Eagle, which operates 17 ATR 42 flights a day into the BVI is reportedly phasing out these aircraft in the Caribbean and would be interested in increasing the size of their aircraft to the ATR 72’s. “It is not expected that there will be major changes in the places served from the BVI…(but) there will be certainly more capacity for other airlines to come in,” he emphasized. Reviewing the timetable for the phased completion of works at the new Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport: the new access road at the western end of the runway will be opened in March, the new turning loop at the western end that will increase the capacity of the runway – May/June and the runway extension and its parallel taxi-way – end of December 2000. Apart from completion of a small part of the apron, this only leaves completion of the control tower and operations block, which is anticipated to be completed by mid 2002.
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