Latest update April 1st, 2025 5:37 PM
CJIA airport expansion to take 670,000 truckloads of sand
Trucks moving sand along the northern
end of the Timehri airport runway.
It will take more than 650,000 truckloads of sand to extend the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, officials say.
With that, it is now believed that the US$150M extension of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) will become the biggest infrastructural project in terms of the usage of sand.
CJIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Ramesh Ghir, disclosed that it will take up to 12 million cubic meters of sand.
Under the contract, Government has to provide the sand and other filling materials for the runway extension.
That cost is not included in the US$138M contract, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the Chinese company that is extending the runway, has with Government.
Guyana has placed a budget of US$150M for a new terminal and the runway extension. To move that large amount of sand, Government had contracted out the supply of sand and filling materials to BK International.
A concession to mine sand near the old glass factory in the Yarrowkabra area, Soesdyke/Linden Highway, was also made available to BK.
Under the contract, Government has to provide CHEC with the material from within 12 kilometers of the airport.
“The Employer (Government) shall be fully responsible for the quantity, quality and timely supply of the abovementioned sand and other fill material. Provided the Employer fails to satisfy this requirement, the Contractor (CHEC) shall be entitled to claim expense and time extension accordingly.
“The acceptance, inspection, care, custody and control of the material supplied by the Employer shall not relieve the Employer of liability for any shortage, defect, or default of the material,” according to the conditions of the contract.
Government says that a longer runway and new state-of-the-art terminal is essential if the country is serious about attracting tourism.
Guyana is also looking to tap into markets from Asia and Africa, using its strategic location at northern tip of South America.
(Leonard Gildarie)
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