Bulacan airport to start construction in Q1 2021; Dutch dredging firm tapped for land development

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced Tuesday that the construction of the P740-billion New Manila International Airport project in Bulacan is set to begin in the first quarter of 2021.

This, after SMC awarded dredging firm Boskalis a $1.73-billion contract to restore land at the project site in Bulakan, Bulacan of “what will be the largest, most modern international gateway in the Philippines.”

In a statement, SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said that Dutch firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., through its wholly-owned subsidiary Boskalis Philippines Inc., was chosen to undertake land development works for the airport project after a rigorous selection process that included the world’s biggest and best dredging companies.

“Our selection of a global giant in dredging shows how ready, willing, and committed we are to do everything necessary to make sure this airport project is developed properly and sustainably. We will make sure it will serve and benefit Filipinos, our host province Bulacan, and the rest of the Philippines, for many generations to come,” Ang said.

“Boskalis has committed to ensure that the area will be suitable for development. It will be designed with the highest technical and environmental standards, so it can withstand potential large earthquakes, local typhoon conditions, and even future sea level rise,” he said.

Boskalis, a global dredging contractor, is known for major projects worldwide such as the ongoing development of Singapore’s Tuas Terminal Phase 2 port and its Tekong polder projects.

With the selection of Boskalis, Ang said that preparatory works on land development at the airport site in Bulakan, Bulacan is scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021 and is expected to be fully completed by 2024.

The contract is valued at approximately $ 1.8 billion.

“The confirmation of this project of this scale is fantastic news. As Boskalis, we have a rich tradition in creating land all over the world to the highest technical and environmental standards. We enthusiastically look forward to applying this know-how for the land development of the MIA Project. During the construction phase, we will contribute to the local economy and the new airport will bring further growth to the whole Manila region,” Boskalis CEO Peter Berdowski said in a separate statement.

Boskalis’ workplan and methodology includes measures to prevent soil liquefaction in the entire area, according to the dreding firm.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) in August 2019 formally awarded the contract to build and operate the Bulacan airport project to San Miguel Holdings Corp., the infrastructure unit of SMC.

Both parties signed the concession deal for the New Manila International Airport on September 18, a month and four days after SMC received the notice of award for the contract.

The project involves the construction, operation, and maintenance of a 2,500-hectare airport in Bulakan, Bulacan. The development includes a passenger terminal building with airside and landside facilities, an airport toll road, and four runways.

The gateway has a design capacity of 100 million passengers a year, but can be expanded to 200 million, and is targeted to accommodate 240 aircraft movements per hour. It will be connected to the North Luzon Expressway through an 8.4-kilometer tollway to be constructed as part of the project.

SMC just last month successfully raised P20 billion to partly finance the project, as well as other infrastructure investments such as the Metro Rail Transit Line 7 (MRT7).—AOL, GMA News