Dominica Cable Car completes 60% of construction: PM Skerrit

Roseau, Dominica: Around 60% of the construction work of the “World’s longest cable car project in Dominica” has been completed, as per the new update. With this pace of work, the contractors are expected to complete the project by the end of the year. 

Speaking during his tour to Cable Car site, PM Skerrit shed light on the progress of the construction and noted that this will play major role in strategically boosting Dominica’s tourism sector. 

Expressing satisfaction over the project’s progress, he said the best team of engineers and constructors were employed to make the vision a reality and complete safety precautions were taken in the project’s design and construction. 

The PM added that many people are already engaged in the construction period of the project and joked that they might not want the project to be completed since it is giving them steady earning. He then said that even after the project is completed, many of the current temporary employments will transition into permanent ones, in the form of maintenance, management and operations of the facility. 

“It is an intrinsic desire of many to see the employment turn permanent,” Skerrit remarked.  

Giving tourists a varied experience, travel to Boiling Lake

The Labour leader said the project is not just about the construction. The aim is to attract more visitors to Dominica. He said people who visit the country with abundant natural beauty look for varied experiences and the cable car system is a way to meet those expectations. 

One of the major advantages of the cable car system is that it will make access to Dominica’s iconic Boiling Lake easy. Currently, hiking to the World Heritage Site is a challenging task. But with the cable car in operation, it will be much easier. PM Skerrit said the cable car system can also be used for promotional purposes, such as weddings. People can get married on the cable car while going to the Boiling Lake, he added. 

PM Skerrit said the number of foreign visitors to Dominica is rising and with the international airport, marina and cruise village, it will go up more. The government has thus decided to increase the number of tourist attractions in order to see the tourists distributed so that pressure is reduced on one or two places. 

Looking forward to the commissioning of the cable car system which is likely to be completed in December 2025, the prime minister said riding on the world’s longest cable car route to reach the world’s second-largest boiling lake is in itself a story. 

The cable car itself will not be the only attraction, according to the PM. He said the visitors will experience a complete package around the cable car system as there will be shops, restaurants, coffee outlets, souvenir units, parks and other modern amenities. The project will generate huge employment opportunities once it becomes operational. 

He said local contractors and suppliers are engaged in the project which is helping more circulation of money in the economy and after the project is completed, workers coming from far-off places will see a boost to construction and other ancillary businesses to support them, like housing, food and other services.  

Live at the Cable Car Project Update pic.twitter.com/xFtAKqbWIM

— Roosevelt Skerrit (@SkerritR) January 30, 2025

Tour guides will not lose jobs

PM Skerrit ruled out concerns that many have raised over the local tour guides losing their earnings once people begin to use the cable car system. He said the result would be contrary as the tour guides can still do their jobs on the ropeway and also continue with their traditional practice of assisting visitors who choose walking and hiking over the cable car. 

The prime minister on the occasion mentioned about the aerial tram service to tourists that Dominica had offered once. He said while the gondola service had a huge potential with people, both local and foreigners, keen to explore it, it was due to poor maintenance that it was shut down. According to him, the upcoming project will be a more expansive one and is likely to meet its potential with a huge turnout. 

PM Skerrit said the government of Dominica aims to boost the visitors’ footfall in the country to give impetus to the consumption of goods and services. Given that the island-nation has a population of around 70,000 people, it needs outsiders to consume what it produces and receive more foreign exchanges which enables the government to serve its citizens. 

The prime minister thanked the company behind the cable car project saying he was pleased with its progress, especially given the fact that construction in the terrain where the system is being installed is not easy. He said the constructors and engineers have come up with a safe design and construction and helped turn the vision into reality. This is the actualisation and realization of Dynamic Dominica, the PM said. 

The government of Dominica has taken full care of the environmental aspect while constructing its much-awaited cable car system, the world’s longest at 6.6 kilometres when completed. Giving updates on the progress of the project in Roseau Valley on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said only those trees that were absolutely necessary to be removed, were cut. 

He said environmental preservation is in the DNA of Dominica for a long time, even when concerns over climate change hadn’t emerged. “My philosophy is to plant three trees back if one is cut,” he said, adding that his government has taken care of the physical surroundings in other major infrastructure projects, such as the international airport and marina. 

He said no slash-and-burn method has been adopted for the cable car project and those trees that have been axed will be replaced with new plantings. 

PM Skerrit was present on the site of the construction with some other ministers and government officials, constructors and representatives of the company behind the project.