A new $30 million cargo facility on the south side of the Winnipeg James . Richardson International Airport is nearing completion.
“We are 99 per cent finished,” reported Rob Bachart, the Winnipeg Airport Authority’s (WAA) real estate director. “There are just a handful of small matters to complete.”
He added that the building will be home to eight tenants with connections to the operation of the airport. The first two are in the process of moving in and when they are fully moved in the building will be fully operational.
One feature of the new structure is space for cold storage for perishables and live animal handling which will enhance Winnipeg’s status as a resupply hub for northern and Arctic communities as well as benefit regional livestock producers and food processors in expanding export markets.
The impetus for building the new facility was twofold – security issues and greater efficiency of operation, according to Tyler MacAfee, the Winnipeg Airport Authority’s government and community engagement vice-president and director.
“Because we store all of our equipment for servicing at the airport, at our east side cargo campus, with modern security protocols, every time that we have to drive equipment over to the terminal, the equipment has to be screened by security,” he explained. “Now having the equipment stored close by reduces the need for screening and makes our operation more efficient.
“We have worked with the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority to provide screening in our new building so that our equipment can more efficiently access restricted areas of the airport.”
The contractor for the project, MacAfee noted, is Con-Pro Industries. The work of construction was straightforward, he said.
“We have had a lot of experience in recent years with major construction projects at the airport,” he points out. “As a result, we are able to anticipate any challenges that may have arisen.”
With the new cargo facility nearly completed, the WAA has already begun focusing on its next major construction project – the demolition of the former equipment storage buildings and redevelopment of the site.
“We are planning to build at the location a 280,000 square foot multi-tenant air cargo logistics facility,” Bachart said. “We have been able to land a grant from Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund. We started the planning process in January and will be putting the work out to tender soon. We hope to hit the ground running early next year.”
That project is projected to cost $60 million and be built over a period of five years.
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