Approximately $60 million of the $230 million allocated for the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project has already been spent on the reconstruction of rural roads, with eight major projects completed and sixteen more currently underway.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works (MTW), Santia Bradshaw, made the disclosure during a recent tour of several active construction sites in the Scotland District.
Bradshaw was accompanied by MTW officials, the Barbados Water Authority (BWA), and representatives from the China National Complete Plant Import and Export Corporation (COMPLANT).
“. . . It’s a $230 million project. We have, up to the end of March, spent about $60 million, and we have completed a number of projects under the Scotland District Project. Places like Shorey Village [and] Whitehill, St Andrew, phase one and phase two, as well as Vaughns Road No. 2, St Joseph, have been completed. We have completed Chance Hill, as well as Jemmotts Road in St Lucy, and the Animal Flower Cave Road,” Minister Bradshaw said.
Reece Road in St Thomas and the Link Road in Four Hill/Prospect, St Peter, have also been completed. The minister also revealed that plans are in place to begin work on additional roads in St Peter. However, she noted that coordination with utility companies is essential before construction can begin.
Minister Bradshaw, MTW and BWA engineers looking at a culvert along Ermy Bourne. (MTW)
“The works that are to be done in the Scotland District range across the rural parishes, and we have spent a lot of time preparing preliminary designs, as well as moving to the detailed design stage. At each of those stages, there is input from the utility companies to ensure that we are able to move light poles . . . and replace the water mains. That takes a lot of coordination between the utility companies, the contractors, and the design consultants to ensure that there is a smooth programme running across the Scotland District . . . so, areas like Mount Brevitor, Sailor Gully, Orange Hill, Four Hill, Prospect Road, all of those areas have been designed, and we are now in a position to work with the utilities to coordinate the start date for each of those various sections of work.
“ Let me just say that obviously we will not start all of the sections in St Peter at the same time,” she said, adding that Hope Road, Highway 1C in St Lucy, had recently started.
Plans are also underway to address areas such as Crab Hill through another MTW programme.
As part of the ministry’s broader focus on enhancing national road infrastructure, Bradshaw highlighted an initiative currently underway to install solar lighting along Highway 2A. While this falls outside the scope of the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project, she noted that efforts are being made to acquire additional solar lights for use in rural communities where road improvements are also taking place.
The minister stated that improved road access and infrastructure benefit not only local residents but also the island’s tourism industry.
“Tourism is what pays our bills, whether we like it or not,” she said. “We focused a lot on the places of interest where the tour operators have agitated, as well. Animal Flower Cave Road was one of the first ones, and we are working on new roads in and around Cherry Tree Hill, the Morgan Lewis windmill, and in the area of Andromeda Gardens.”
Work has also commenced on Phase 2 of the Ermy Bourne Highway.
Currently, 16 projects are ongoing under the Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project, namely: Airy Hill, St Joseph; Babylon Road, St Andrew; Bruce Vale Bridge, St Andrew; Coggins Hill, St Andrew; Ermy Bourne Highway, St Andrew; Glenburnie, St John; Highway B2, St Peter – St Andrew; Highway C, St James; Highway F – Phase 1, St John; Hope Road, Highway 1C, St Lucy; Kings Street, St Andrew; Laynes Bridge, St Joseph; Mose Bottom, St Andrew; St Margaret’s, St John; St Simons Road and Bridge; and White Hill, St Andrew – Phase 3.
The Scotland District Road Rehabilitation Project is funded by the Exim Bank of China. The project is executed by COMPLANT in association with Barbadian contractors and engineers. (PR/MTW/BT)
The post $60M spent so far on Scotland District road works appeared first on Barbados Today.