PM: New Tobago airport to be completed in 2025

THE PRIME MINISTER has said the ANR Robinson airport expansion project is expected to be completed in early 2025.

He was responding to a question from Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Representatives on September 20.

Ratiram wanted to know when the project will be completed.

Dr Rowley said, “Madam Speaker (Bridgid Annisette-George), as of today (September 20), I cannot give a completion date, but the project has an estimated completion date, which is early 2025.”

The billion-dollar project, constructed by China Railway Construction, is being managed by the National Infrastructure Development Company Ltd.

Ratiram also wanted to know about the status of the work and the money expended to date on the project, including the construction of the new terminal building.

Rowley responded, “Madam Speaker, the new airport terminal building and associated infrastructure works project is at this time 74 per cent complete.

“Payments to date to the main contractor total US$65 million, not including land acquisition costs of approximately $300 million, which was paid at an earlier time, during a number of processes.”

He also said the new airport terminal building will have special facilities to reduce and possibly eliminate human trafficking in all its forms.

“And therefore any and all persons who are engaged in such criminal conduct will know that the airport terminal building is not a place to frequent or to try to bring in victims of human trafficking.” Ratiram also wanted to know if there were any issues in relation to structural integrity during construction. Rowley said, “I have no idea what the member is talking about.

“All construction projects have structural issues of one or another when you are building a structure. So if he talking about structural issues in general, I have no idea what he is talking about.”

The PM said, though, “The project has been delayed, bits and pieces with respect to amendments and adjustments. I think it was affected by covid as well, but the bottom line is, we are well on schedule now.”

The Couva North MP also asked Rowley if any foreign firm had been recruited to provide quality assurance and quality control in the construction of the airport.

He said, “I would be very surprised if we did not involve expertise of one kind or another. And if it is foreign or local to ensure that we have quality control, I don’t know why that is a problem for the member for Couva North.”