Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources (MTWW), Santia Bradshaw, has named the roads earmarked for rehabilitation under the Inter-American Development Bank’s $43 million project.
Minister Bradshaw disclosed on Friday that under the Road Rehabilitation and Improving Connectivity of Road Infrastructure Project, the MTWW had contracted C.O. Williams Construction Ltd. to execute work on Carmichael Road, St George, from the Boarded Hall Roundabout to Turnpike Intersection with Highway 4, and Hothersal, St Michael, from the Clyde Walcott Roundabout to Lears Roundabout.
Infra Inc. are the contractors for the sections of Highway 6 from Henry Forde (Newton) Roundabout to Searles Roundabout; Highway 6 from Searles Roundabout to Six Roads, St. Philip, and Belair Road from Crane Roundabout to Sam Lords Castle, St. Philip.
Work on these initial five roads is expected to last for approximately six months. However, a total of nine roads will be completed under the IDB-funded project, with the remaining four scheduled to begin in the next few months.
Ms. Bradshaw, along with a delegation from the recently concluded 10th IRF Caribbean Regional Congress, spoke to the media during a tour of Clyde Walcott Roundabout to Lears Roundabout, as well as Carmichael Road.
“We know what the worst conditioned roads are, and we have to prioritise those roads because in many cases they are key access to get from the country side into the city areas. There are roads that have aggravated average Barbadians for many years, but it is all part of a wider ambitious road programme to not only bring relief in the urban corridor, but in the rural corridor as well.
“The main objective of this project is to improve the quality of our road infrastructure. There will be full rehabilitation of the road surfaces [and] improvement to drainage, bridges, culverts, signage and concrete works,” Minister Bradshaw said.
Project Manager at the MTWW, Dave Scantlebury, said Carmichael Road would be the first to start under this phase of the Global Roads IDB-funded initiative. In addition to repaving the road, traffic signals will be installed and a damaged well will be demolished and rebuilt at that location.
“These projects are all about rehabilitation, so what we are looking to do on this project and the others is to mill off the top of road, about three to four inches, and to put back crusher run as well as a two-inch or 50 millimetres main course surface. We are looking to improve the drainage; there are culverts that we need to change, bridges that need fixing, and especially on this road (Carmichael Road). There is a well that we need to demolish and rebuild to make sure it is safe. We will also be doing quite a bit of utility relocation,” Mr. Scantlebury noted.
The Project Manager added that town hall meetings were held to discuss the road works and their implications. He assured both residents and road users that although there will be disruption, they are welcomed to give feedback along the way as “we will try to monitor and make changes as necessary”.
MTWW and its contractors will disseminate the Traffic Management Plan through mainstream media, the Barbados Government Information Service, and the Ministry’s Instagram and Facebook pages @mtwbarbados.