Dominica prepares key areas for construction of international airport
Key areas fundamental to the construction of Dominica’s international airport are now being prepped, an official said.
In a report by Dominica News Online, International Airport Development Company’s (IADC) CEO Samuel Johnson said that the constructing company has already been handed out several “initial concept documents” for the work needed for the site.
“We’ve seen a few months ago the arrival of several pieces of equipment and several personnel from CR5 (China Railway No.5 Engineering Group Co., Ltd.) to the island and the intent there being, with an advanced team to really go through and get a feel for the site,” Johnson said in a recent interview.
“They were given a lot of the initial concept documents through the tender process, they would have seen some of the preliminary geo-tech work, they would have seen some of the site plans and some of the preliminary designs that would have been done by Landrum & Brown working in preparation for the project,” he continued.
CR5 won the EC $1 billion-plus contract for the Dominica International Airport project, and is in charge of the design, construction, supply, completion, testing, and commissioning of the island’s biggest project.
The construction of the batch plant area has begun, Johnson said, and is intended to provide the production facilities for concrete asphalt.
“Concrete being a key requirement for all the civil works, the culverts, the tunnel, the apron of the airport, the retaining walls that have to be built,” he said. “So that area which is pretty visible [off] the road right now is going to house that facility with some offices as well for a production facility of that magnitude.”
Johnson also said the 11-acre site has been cleared and leveled in almost two weeks. “We are moving equipment directly to the site,” he said.
In 2021, the government of Dominica signed an agreement with the UAE-based firm MMC Development Ltd. to officially break ground on the highly-anticipated international airport.
MMC Development Ltd. has spearheaded several important projects for Dominica, including thousands of climate-resilient houses and healthcare and educational facilities. These projects are funded by the nation’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme.