Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten- The Managing Board of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), mostly known as SXM Airport on Thursday July 5, 2018, announced the completion of Phase One of the roof repair project at the Terminal Building.

The project originally began in March 2018. The completion of this phase is another step towards the reconstruction of the entire Terminal Building, the Managing Board said.

According to the Projects, Planning and Systems Department of SXM Airport (PPS), the 250 meters long roof, covering almost 16,000 square meters, was severely damaged in the aftermath of the September 2017 hurricanes. Hurricane Irma had ripped off 70% of the Terminal Building’s roof. Leakage consequently became a grave concern as it affected the internal operational infrastructure of the airport .

Ballast Nedam was contracted to reconstruct the roof in the first phase. The repairs included waterproofing, steel deck treatment and the installation of the flat metal sheets.

The Managing Board has confirmed that the roof repair plan will be carried out in three phases. Phase 2 of the project has already begun and includes the installation of the roof profiles and panels. Meanwhile, phase 3 will include the installation of the bull-noses and soffits, which form the perimeter of the roof.

The newly completed roof works (Phase 1) will ensure that the terminal will be watertight. Only after the installation of the roof profiles, panels, bull-noses and soffits (Phase 2+3 works) will the entire roof be able to sustain hurricane wind force of 185 miles per hour (Category 5). The overall project is set to be completed in November 2018.