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3rd Quarter 2009 Volume 01 - No. 5 |
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PJIAE PROJECTS KEEP AIM ON TRAVELER COMFORT AND ISLAND DEVELOPMENT |
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With the completion of one major infrastructural project in sight, PJIAE
is soon to turn its attention to another project aimed at easing the
flow of passengers; albeit that the project nearing completion is
roadside, while the other in start-blocks is airside. The project on the
roadside called on motorists driving through the airport area to take
note of another detour, as the upgrade of the road network is reaching
completion. As of Wednesday October 7, 2009, and until further notice,
the new roundabout has been open for traffic coming from both the Maho
and Simpson Bay directions.
“We started the second half of the roundabout; so that - although it is
not fully covered with asphalt - part of it is in use while work
continues on the eastern half,” said PJIAE Technical Director Mr. Mirto
Breell. He expected the final layer of asphalt to be laid by the third
week of October, after which the road works should finalize by week 45,
the second week in November. “After that we will turn our full attention
to the parking lot and work on completing that by February 2010. We are
on target. Very much so,” he said.
 Meanwhile,
while work is being finished on the road, traffic heading towards Maho
will be led through the roundabout and will continue along the Simpson
Bay lagoon, around the visitor’s parking lot. Traffic coming from the
Maho direction will go around the parking lot, and over the roundabout
to head towards Simpson Bay. Motorists leaving the frontier road at the
Airport Terminal Building, will turn either left or right around the
roundabout, to head in either the directions of Maho or Simpson Bay.
The airport infrastructure upgrade works started in May, with the
objective of improving safety and enhancing traffic flow in the area.
Drs. Eugene Holiday, President of the Princess Juliana International
Airport operating company (PJIAE) repeated earlier calls for caution as
the works progress. “These temporary detours are an important facet in
the island’s overall development. This project will result in the
reduction of traffic congestion, thus reducing the loss of valuable
productive time and reducing the chances of people missing flights. At
the completion of this project safety of the traveling public, as well
as meters and greeters will also have been improved. So we again ask for
patience of the general public, but most of all for caution of
motorists,” drs. Holiday said.
The new road represents a US$2 million investment. This project forms an
integral part of the adjusted Airport Masterplan and is aimed at
securing and enhancing adequate traffic flow to/from the airport and
airport parking; relinquishing the pedestrian crossing over the main
road and increasing car parking.
The project on airside that is now in starting blocks concerns the
addition of two gates at the southwestern end of the airport building.
The number of B-Gates will be increased to 5, with the installation of
two single sliding doors. The objective is to enhance capacity of the
B-lounge during peak hours, explained Mr. Breell. He said it had been
brought to PJIAE’s attention, that sometimes, when multiple aircraft are
being boarded from the B-lounge, things can get cramped in that area.
“With the additional doors, even when all their flights come in at the
same time, the airlines that use this area will have something to fall
back on, so they can board more than one aircraft at once,” Mr. Breell
said.
 The
B-Lounge is used predominantly by the lighter commuter airlines that do
not dock at the jetbridges. Passengers walk to or are bussed to their
waiting planes from these gates that are located on the ground floor of
the terminal building. Work will start as soon as the project proposal
by the contractor has been reviewed and approved.
Drs. Holiday placed the additional gates in light of PJIAE’s aim at
staying in the foreground of aviation in the region. “Customer comfort
is important to us. The airlines pointed out a bottleneck and we
complied because we agreed that these additional doors will help to ease
passenger flow,” he said.
With the additional doors, the terminal building will have 13 gates. The
facility was commissioned in 2006. Spanning 30,500 square meters, it has
four floors, 46 check-in counters, eight transfer desks, 10 immigration
booths and five emigration booths. With a capacity to handle 2.5 million
passengers annually, it took travel in the north eastern Caribbean to
new heights, transferring PJIAE from an airport to more than a place
where one catches a flight; the new building is fully air-conditioned,
has a shopping mall, a bank, a food court and many other amenities
passengers consider comfort.
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