Dominica: International Airport Project surges ahead of schedule

Dominica: The International Airport Project in Dominica is moving ahead of its pace with the platform of the new runway and terminal nearly halfway complete. This latest update was shared by Prime Minister Dr Roosevelt Skerrit on his official Facebook account on Thursday.  

While sharing the glimpses, he said with Dominica’s unique terrain in mind, four culverts to manage water flow have already been finished and backfilling is underway.  

“Blasting at the terminal area continues as we get closer to the foundation phase. Soon, the terminal will stand tall as a symbol of our ambition and resilience as a people,” added the PM.  

Samuel Johnson, CEO of the International Airport Development Company, provided an update, stating that the majority of the work will focus on developing the platform that will support the runway, terminal, and facilities. He reported that the earthworks portion is approximately 40% complete. 

He emphasized that the team is on track, slightly ahead of schedule. Regarding earthworks, the team anticipates completion within the next year or so, followed by the commencement of landside facilities construction later this year.  

The initial focus will be on developing culverts at the valley bottoms, a crucial step given Dominica's high rainfall, said the CEO adding that, “We need to ensure that there are waterways, clearly defined waterways so that the water can flow unimpeded underneath the runway."

Johnson added that there are four culverts so far and right now they are at the stage where they are backfilling culvert number four.  

In addition to the earthworks, the team is also undertaking significant slope reinforcement and drainage work. According to Johnson, extensive drainage measures have been implemented on the slopes to redirect surface water away from the runway and terminal alignments. 

Talking about the excavation, he added that blasting still continues at the terminal area and the team has not got to the foundation design level for the foundation as yet, but they are close.  

He confirmed that in the next few months, they will be looking forward to starting the commencement of the construction of the terminal and at present the team is finalizing the review of the construction drawings.  

With this highly anticipated International Airport project being ahead on the construction schedule, the locals are looking forward to its completion.