The construction of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s third terminal would cost more than NT$100 billion (US$3.1 billion) by the time it is completed in 2026, up from the NT$95.6 billion the government projected in May 2020, due to increases in building material costs and labor charges, the National Development Council said on Monday.
The council released the information after hearing a report from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on the project’s progress.
The project is 52.65 percent complete and the terminal is expected to start operations in 2026, enabling the airport to serve 82 million passengers a year to help build Taiwan into an East Asian transportation hub, council Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
The added cost has a lot to do with building material and labor shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic and contractors’ increased fees, the council said.
The terminal is to have a total floor space of 580,000m2 with four floors above ground and three basement floors, making it the nation’s largest public construction project in decades, the council said, adding that its roof is three times the size of the Taipei Dome.
Kung said he has asked the transportation ministry to help airport authorities with customs clearances, as well as passport, quarantine and security inspection procedures.
The ministry should also lend support to the development of neighboring areas, he said.
As of the end of last month, the nation had spent NT$370 billion on public works since the beginning of the year, the highest figure for the period over the past 16 years, the council said.
The government has budgeted NT$588.6 billion for public works next year, an increase of 0.3 percent from this year, as it aims to boost the economy, it said.
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