Kandahar Airfield is being expanded at a rapid pace to make room for the influx of American troops expected to arrive in the early months of Barack Obama's presidency.

CTV's Steve Chao, reporting from Kandahar, said the military base looks more like a construction zone as crews work to build barracks and facilities for the incoming troops.

"$850 million is being spent on expanding this base," Chao reported Tuesday.

He said there are currently 12,000 troops at the base and the number is expected to double or even triple over the next year.

Obama is planning a troop surge for Afghanistan in the range of 30,000 U.S. soldiers, although there is still debate over where the troops will be allocated.

For those sent to Kandahar, Chao said they will help Canadian troops push the Taliban out from rural areas.

"The expectation is that a lot of these American soldiers that arrive later on this year and in the coming weeks and months will be used to push the Taliban out of their strongholds and create a safe zone for the Afghan government to operate in," Chao said.

While Canada is currently in charge of operations in Kandahar, Chao said if the American troops outnumber the Canadians they'll likely have the final say regarding operational matters.

"Saying that, NATO has made it very clear that the Americans will work alongside the NATO troops here," Chao said.

Kandahar Airfield was originally designed for 5,000 people and observers say the base is already strained.

Lt.-Col. John Uptmor, an American engineer in charge of the U.S. expansion at Kandahar Airfield, told The Canadian Press that the biggest challenge is getting everything done before the soldiers arrive.

With files from The Canadian Press