A $320 million upgrade for aspects of the Piarco and Crown Point Airports includes construction of a 250-room hotel and Business Park at Piarco and runway rehabilitation for Crown Point, Works Minister Colm Imbert said yesterday.

The minister also announced a $167 million drainage programme comprising 13 projects for various areas in central and south Trinidad in the 2009-2010 period. He spoke about the $487 million worth of projects at Government’s weekly news conference yesterday. Regarding the airport upgrades, Imbert said the Airports Authority of T&T had been given approval to develop land north of the existing terminal building and to build two bridges therein. The property will facilitate construction of a new Meteorological Complex and a Business Park. The latter is planned for north of Piarco Airport (south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway).

Imbert said the AATT had also reached agreement with a firm called Primist Corporation to construct a 250 room Radisson hotel on the estate. Imbert said Crown Point runway was urgently in need of rehabilitation for some time since this had not been done since 1994. Airfield lights at both airports will be upgraded to international standard. The sewer treatment plant at Crown Point is to be upgraded also. On the drainage programme, Imbert said the 13 project package was being done to alleviate flooding which has started occurring in certain areas due to particularly heavy rainfall patterns in the last year and also due to development of the areas.

Cleaning Rivers
He listed several rivers earmarked for cleaning including the Soledad, Marabella, Ortoire, Moolia Rivers and the Caroni Irrigation area. Walling and paving will also be done at the Manning Ravine in Sangre Grande, the Diana River in Cunupia, the Cipero in San Fernando, the Diego Martin River and Dunderhill drain in Lopinot.

In view of the recession and whether T&T had funds for such projects, Imbert said the Finance Ministry had approved the projects. He said he did not agree with economist Mary King that projects such as the Rapid Rail should be deferred.