MANHATTAN — While there may currently be no end in sight for the federal government shutdown, things are progressing at the National Bio and Agro Defense facility.
During KMAN’s In Focus, Dr. Ken Burton, NBAF Coordinator for USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) noted some good planning by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Homeland Security to lessen the impact of the shutdown on the construction schedule.
The shutdown is not impacting the NBAF construction finances according to NBAF Partnership Development Director Marty Vanier.
Vanier says most of the construction that occurs this year won’t be visible from the outside.
Looking ahead in 2019 and 2020, Dr. Burton says an influx of new employees will be coming to the facility.
The $1.25 billion facility is a bio-safety level-4 laboratory and will replace the aging Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York. NBAF is expected to be operational by 2022-2023.
