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A new airport terminal building for Sachs Harbour moves along a Hay River highway on July 21. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

HAY RIVER - Two new airport terminal buildings began the first leg of a trip north to Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk on the morning of July 21.

The buildings were moved about a kilometre along a highway on Hay River's Vale Island. The short trip was from Concept Energy Services Ltd., where the buildings were constructed, to the Northern Transportation Company Ltd. yard to be placed on barges for a journey down the Mackenzie River.

The buildings are expected to depart Hay River sometime this week.

They should arrive in Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk within a week of each other in mid-August.

They will replace aging infrastructure at the airports in the two communities.

The construction project in Hay River was the first time airport terminal buildings were built in the North and transported to another site.

"It is the first time that we've used Concept Energy to build terminal buildings," said Delia Chesworth, acting director of airports with the GNWT's Department of Transportation. "We've used modulars in other locations, but they haven't been built in the North."

The two 125-square-metre buildings constructed at Concept Energy are essentially the same, except for their colour.

"The red one is going to Paulatuk and the blue one is going to Sachs Harbour," said Chesworth, noting the colours were selected by the communities.

The contract for their construction was awarded in November of last year.

"The overall cost of the project is around $850,000 to $900,000," said Chesworth, noting that includes construction, transportation, site work and connections to existing infrastructure.

The GNWT provided half the money, while the remainder came in federal stimulus funding under the Infrastructure Canada Program.

Chesworth said there are no immediate plans to build more terminal buildings in Hay River for other communities.

"It will definitely factor into any future decision as an option, but at the current time we don't have any air terminal buildings of that size on our capital plan," she said.

The new buildings will house the Community Aerodrome Radio Station in both Sachs Harbour and Paulatuk.

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