The two taxiways between the main passenger terminal apron and the lone runway at Owen Roberts International Airport in Grand Cayman are being outfitted with paved shoulders to bring the facility in line with international airport design standards.
The 17.5 feet of shoulder space – applied on either side on each of the two taxiways – will assist airplanes in minimising potential ingestion of debris as they navigate the existing 90-feet wide taxiways. Outboard engines positioned to the outside along the wings of jet aircraft often hover beyond the paved taxiways, leaving them susceptible to ingesting foreign objects from unkempt grounds.
The addition of paved shoulders may also assist in resisting erosion as well as help to support heavier aircraft and limit jet blast.
The work began earlier this month and occurs regularly in the overnight hours, after flight operations end for the day. Work ceases each day at 5am before the airport reopens.
Island Paving is handling the project, including excavation of grassed areas, grading, compaction and paving of the taxiway shoulders.
The work is expected to be completed by mid-December. The Cayman Islands Airports Authority – the statutory authority that owns and operates both Owen Roberts International Airport and Gerrard-Smith International Airport, located on Sister Island Cayman Brac – has not released cost projections.
Outfitting the two taxiways between the general aviation apron and the runway with similar paved shoulders are not part of this phase of scheduled upgrades.
“The CIAA regrets any inconvenience, however minor, which may be experienced by neighbouring properties from the use of bright lights and heavy equipment, including dump trucks, which are removing debris from the site to a designated location on airport property,” said Caren Thompson-Palacio, the airport authority’s business development and marketing manager.
Work on the commercial taxiway shoulders are not connected to ongoing discussions between the airports authority and potential site redeveloper Canadian Commercial Corporation, Ms Thompson-Palacio said.
CCC is the international firm specialising in primary contracting and procurement services that signed a nonbinding agreement with the airports authority this summer to explore the feasibility of potential upgrades at both Owen Roberts International Airport and Gerrard-Smith International Airport.
Both facilities are in need of significant infrastructure investment to help the Cayman Islands shake off the negative impact of three straight years of economic contraction and to remain an accessible top-tier Caribbean tourist destination.
On 1 August, CCC was granted exclusive rights, for six months, to draft a proposal for construction and concession agreements for the redevelopment of the two international airports in the Cayman Islands. Either side can reject the findings and recommendations and opt out.
CCC – a federal crown corporation mandated to promote and facilitate trade on behalf of Canadian industry – has long developed infrastructure in emerging and developing markets, including sea ports, roads, utilities and airports.
Ms Thompson-Palacio said the airports authority will not discuss the status of findings between it and the Canadian firm before the expiration of the memorandum of understanding between the entities on 1 February, 2012.
Meanwhile, the work scheduled for outfitting the commercial taxiways with paved shoulders at Owen Roberts International Airport is slated to bring the facility in line with airport design and operational standards set forth by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Taxiways at facilities worldwide are necessary as paths in connecting runways with ramps, hangars and terminals. They also allow aircraft to vacate the runway quicker, while permitting another to land or depart in a shorter time period. Establishing paved shoulders on taxiways is standard practice and helps mitigate potential safety problems and maintenance expenses for aircraft.
In 2007, as noted in the master redevelopment plan report prepared for the airports authority, both commercial taxiway surfaces at Owen Roberts International Airport were reported to be in good condition and equipped with taxiway centre line lights and edge lights. But the scenario for aircraft movements at the 330-acre facility which serves as the primary gateway between the Cayman Islands and the global economy was nonetheless described as fraught with logistical challenges.
Owen Roberts International Airport has no full-length taxiway parallel to the runway, resulting in frequent back-taxiing. Departing aircraft must taxi onto the runway to reach the threshold for departure. Arriving aircraft must complete a 180 degree turn before back-taxiing to the appropriate apron taxiway. In addition, aircraft taxiing between the general aviation and commercial aprons must do so via the runway, causing safety issues and reducing airfield capacity.
The master plan outlined a series of initiatives featuring short-, mid- and long-term development goals for Owen Roberts International Airport with an estimated price tag totalling about CI$158 million.
Those plans included updating the two-storey, 85,000 square feet passenger terminal, extending the 7,000 feet long runway, relocating and developing new hangar facilities, increasing taxiway space and improving the capacity for general aviation.
In July, Premier McKeeva Bush told those gathered at the Airports Conference of the Americas in Grand Cayman that the CIAA was moving ahead with plans to triple the size of Owen Roberts International Airport in an effort to help bolster the sagging national economy.
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