The entire perimeter security fencing at the Cyril E. King Airport is being replaced for the first time since the airport was constructed. The existing six-foot security fence that surrounds it will be removed and replaced with a new eight-foot, black, vinyl-coated chain link fence that will extend around the entire secured operations area of the airport. The fencing will include barbed wire, and one of the security entrance gates will be automated. Project contractor Island Roads will begin work on April 21 and be completed by August, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the Virgin Islands Port Authority.
The taller fence was requested by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in order to enhance security. The new fencing will also improve the aesthetics of the airport, and the new vinyl-type material is expected to last longer and resist rusting, said VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe. While VIPA has replaced some damaged sections of the fence over the years, this is the first time the entire fence will be replaced.
The $1 million fencing project is funded by an entitlement grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA will pay 90 percent of the total cost, and VIPA will pay the remaining 10 percent.
For more information, contact Monifa Marrero, VIPA’s public information officer, at 774-1629, ext. 6640 or [email protected].