Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Works, and Water Resources, Santia Bradshaw, has been getting a first-hand look at the road improvement project currently being executed at Rock Dundo, St. James.
Earlier this week, Minister Bradshaw, along with officials from the Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources (MTWW) and the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), and the project contractor, C.O. Williams Construction Ltd, toured the 2.1 km road, which connects Highway 2A and Highway 1.
The Road Rehabilitation Project, which began in January 2023, is being done under the CAF Programme, which is funded by the Development Bank of Latin America, Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF). The scope of work at Rock Dundo includes road widening, drainage improvements, milling and paving, and the upgrading of utility mains.
The Deputy Prime Minister explained: “The aim of this visit was to see the progress of the work taking place under the CAF Project and to take into account some of the concerns residents may have as it relates to the road construction and rehabilitation.”
Noting that work was estimated to be completed in the next three months, weather permitting, she said the construction of the slipper and curb had commenced, and the BWA had replaced a three-inch main with a six-inch main along the road.
Emphasising that a coordinated approach by a number of ministries and entities was required to undertake a project of this magnitude, she said: “Apart from MTWW and the main contractors for the site, we have to work with all the utility companies and engage with the residents to make sure everything is in order… That takes time and it also requires us to put some pressure on the various agencies to ensure things are removed and replaced as well. One of the things we have been focusing on recently is that coordinated approach, to ensure as concerns come up, we are able to have teams on site to be able to resolve those issues in a speedier manner.”
Ms. Bradshaw also noted that work continues on the Rock Dundo bridge, which is located in a flood-prone area. The bridge was recently demolished and rebuilt, and a culvert was installed.
“In conjunction with the Drainage Division of the Ministry, we have been looking at additional solutions. It has been agreed that we will raise the road [at the bridge] and additional wells will have to go into the surrounding area in order to take some of the water, so we can avoid the flooding that has been an inconvenience to the residents and pedestrians.”
As the work continues and the road is widened, electric poles will be removed and replaced, and lighting will also be improved.
Acknowledging that some residents have been inconvenienced, the Minister disclosed that the BWA had encountered a few challenges.
“The BWA is in the process of ensuring the pressure of water is adequate for the entire project and that everyone has access to water. [On the tour] we noticed, a few persons were not getting access to water and we tried to ensure those individuals would be able to have access to the pump trucks to get water to their homes,” she said.
Resident of Rock Dundo, St. James, Corey Worrell, said he was very pleased to see the road was being fixed, noting it was heavily used by persons in the north of the island.
“It was in a horrible state and I am hoping the project will be completed soon, so we, the residents, and people who utilise the area, can benefit from some good smooth roads,” he said, while calling for improved communication, drainage, lighting, and sidewalks.
Acting Chief Technical Officer of MTWW, Philip Tudor, explained that several long roads, which are costly to reconstruct, have been earmarked to be repaired under the CAF Project.
“We identified the roads that we wanted to do in this programme. They are roads that are fairly long, one to two kilometres long, that we would not have normally had financing to do out of the Ministry’s capital works budget.”
To date, several roads have been completed under the CAF Project. These include Highway 1, from the Frank Worrell Roundabout, St. Michael, to Seaview Road in Holetown, St. James; Passage Road and Roberts Road in St. Michael, and Carter’s Road in St. John.
Infra Inc. has been rehabilitating the road at Fustic Village in St. Lucy, while C.O. Williams Construction Ltd. is the contractor at Yorkshire Road in St. Philip. At Yorkshire Road, the rock bluff is being cut to widen the road to 20 feet. Utilities and drainage on site will be upgraded, footpaths will be installed at stages along the road, and a slipper and curb will be installed to prevent the road edge from breaking.
Highway 7, from the Independence Arch in Bridgetown to the bottom of Rendezvous Hill in Christ Church, will also be reconstructed under the CAF Project. The BDS$100 million loan agreement was signed in 2017 between the Government of Barbados and CAF, with Phase 1 commencing in January 2018. The Ministry is currently in Phase 3 of the CAF Project.