Found at: http://www.anguillaguide.com/article/articleprint/3251/-1/135/
|
Seaport Development: LARGEST PUBLIC SECTOR PROJECT COMING TO ANGUILLA
|
The largest and most ambitious public sector infrastructure project to be undertaken by the Anguilla Government is to be a seaport development taking in Road Bay, Blowing Point and Corito, each area to have its own facilities and functions. While the bigger portions of the project will not start until the next few years, the groundwork is already being laid with the appointment of the Anguilla Port Development Project Board to advise on the way forward and later to oversee the implementation of the project.
|
|
Road Bay Cargo Port to be converted to Marine Tourism Port
|
Meanwhile, plans are in hand to do some initial improvements at Road Bay and Blowing Point, according to Fritz Smith, Chairman of the 17-member Board comprising public and private sector representatives. The Government has approved two million dollars to carry out this temporary work this year at the two ports while the Board continues to look at the overall seaport development project, which is coming after the extension of Wallblake Airport.
“Government has decided that Corito will be the new cargo port,” Mr. Smith told The Anguillian. “We will be converting the Blowing Point Port to a ferry terminal and Road Bay will continue to be used as the cargo port facility for the time being; and we have to do some refurbishing work there.”
|
|
Mr. Fritz Smith
|
Under the Anguilla Port Development Investment Programme, there will be temporary repair and refurbishing of port facilities at Road Bay. The work will focus on extending the useful life of the jetty to handle increased tonnage and improving cargo-handling equipment there until the cargo port at Corito is built. Later on Road Bay Port will be converted to handle marine tourism and fishing as well as Police, Customs and Immigration operations.
|
|
Pictureques Road Bay, Sandy Ground
|
At Blowing Point Port, the temporary work, most of which has already been carried out, includes the repair, refurbishing and expansion of facilities to meet current traffic, increased passenger movements and conforming to international standards. The long-time project at Blowing Point is a commercial and tourism waterfront development with duty-free shopping facilities and adequate parking.
|
|
Blowing Point Port with cargo and ferry boats
|
The construction and equipping of the new cargo port at Corito is a major part of the overall port development project. The port is also to provide facilities and services for small ferry and cruise ship operations, facilities for regional and international transshipment and storage services and bonded warehouse facilities. Already, Corito is the site for fuel tankers and bulk-storage installations. The Board is to submit a report and recommendations to Government, by July, covering various matters related to this and other port development work. Construction of the new port may start in the next three years.
The seaport development is to be the largest public sector infrastructure project undertaken in Anguilla.