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By Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) — The new road along the old Bay Road has not yet been officially opened. It has not been put into use as the project still needs to be completed.
Contractors Rock n Dirt Limited and Surrey Paving and Aggregates have pledged to complete the project at no cost to the government before handing it over to the Department of Public Works. The initial contract for the project was signed in 2019 and was worth $31.8 million.
Alexis Hazel, owner of Rock and Dirt Construction Limited, said the road renovation came out of dissatisfaction with the original road construction and that the renovation would cost the government nothing.
The second layer of asphalt has not yet been laid, the road lighting has not yet been installed, and the new road has not yet been officially opened to traffic. However, since the second half of 2021, the new road has been in use.
During the July 8, 2024 episode of WINN’s Island Tea show “Traffic Talk,” Public Works Department Engineer George Gilbert shared an update on the reasons for the delay in the official completion of the old road rehabilitation project.
“The Old Road Bay project started very early. The project was very early into that phase. And what happened was that the contractor was almost ready to put the final coat on the road to make it finished. But he ordered his own asphalt plant. His asphalt plant is being installed, and I’m told it should be finished, finalized (and) put into service this week (July 8-13). Then by next week (July 15-20), if the asphalt mix is correct, he should be able to put the final coat on the road later this month.”
As for road markings such as lanes, these can only be implemented after the second layer has been poured and cured.
Gilbert went on to explain that contractors are not responsible for installing new lights on the road. However, there are some works that must be done before St. Kitts Electricity can install the lights, and those works cost something.
“Secondly, the lighting at Old Road Bay is not part of the contract. But we are considering installing lights on the tower there. We started installing some pedestals and concrete bases to mount the lights, but there were some logistical issues with SKELEC and the light poles, so we had to stop. Now, SKELEC has said they have installed new light poles, which means we can continue, but it will cost money. So we are now asking the contractor to give us a cost for the pedestals and concrete bases, and when he submits that cost, we will submit that cost to the government department and ask for a grant to start the project.”
The public is still waiting for the official opening of the road along Laoluwan.
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