By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

CONSTRUCTION for a new airport on Cat Island should begin no later than May, Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis revealed yesterday.

“The way it’s looking, we should be able to have shovels in the ground no later than May of this year,” he said.

Mr Davis, who is also the MP for Cat Island, San Salvador and Rum Cay, spoke to reporters on the sidelines of the opening ceremony for a new passport office on the island yesterday.

The new terminal will be located in New Bight, Cat Island.

As for the Arthur’s Town airport, Mr Davis said there will be renovations to the airstrip and also the terminal in the coming months.

“I intend very shortly to renovate the airstrip in Arthur’s Town and the terminal. That’s going to be done as quickly as possible because we’re about to start major renovations within a few months for the extensive expansion of New Bight airport,” he said.

 “All of the engineers and the architects and whatever is necessary to ensure that so that’s why we came down for the town meeting tonight to get that out of the way and the work can start within months.”

 Mr Davis added. “And the work up here should be starting very soon to ensure that whilst that’s going on, we will have Arthur’s Town available for flights coming in. I also want to say that Arthur’s Town airport ain’t closing either.

 “We will be renovating it to ensure that we’re able to accommodate persons who want to be here and to come to the north because of the cost coming from the north to the south and from the south to the north.”

 Mr Davis also foreshadowed upcoming roadworks for Cat Island.

 “We intend to — there’s about over 60 or 70 miles of road that needs paving, you’ll see today the hot mix plant because we’re going to have asphalt roads from north to south, about 60 to 70 miles of that and the asphalt plant arrived this morning. It’s going to be set up soon and work on that should be starting immediately on the fixing of the roads,” he told reporters yesterday.

 Following yesterday’s ceremony, Mr Davis and members of the media toured the site where a 130-ton asphalt plant will be located.

 The project has a two-year timeline.

 Other sites that were toured by Mr Davis and his delegation yesterday included the island’s clinic and Cat Island community park, among others.

 The park will be home to a 400-metre track, refurbished basketball, and new baseball field, while major upgrades are also scheduled for the island’s clinics.