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$8.7M Rota airport project to break ground
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Posted on Oct 25 2005
The long-delayed extension of Rota’s airport runway will finally break ground tomorrow.
The Commonwealth Ports Authority will lead the groundbreaking for the $8.7-million project at the Rota International Airport at 11am Thursday.
The project consists of adding 1,000 feet to the existing 6,000-feet Runway 09, improving the shoulders along the entire length of the runway, and a turn around at each end.
The runway extension is funded by a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration and capital improvement program funds allocated by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
EM Chen and Associates provided the architectural and engineering services for the project. OKP (CNMI) Incorporated will perform the actual construction, which is expected to take 300 days.
The project that will break ground Thursday only forms the first phase of CPA’s master plan, which aims to add 2,600 feet to the existing runway. Found unrealistic at this time, such extension would have enabled the airport to accommodate direct overseas flights using wide-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 747.
The shorter extension would allow Rota’s airport to serve modern, long-haul aircraft such as Boeing 767s or 757s.
ÅgWhile the present proposed runway extension of 1,000 feet may preclude the use of wide-bodied aircraft such as the Boeing 747 from direct overseas flights from Asia to Rota, the proposed 1,000-foot extension will make it possible for the newer generation of passenger aircraft such as the Boeing 767 and 757 to fly directly from China, Japan, Korea and perhaps other places of origin to Rota with a commensurate increase in passenger activity in future years,Åh CPA consultants had said.
