BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, June 28, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Commuters to and from Basseterre, traveling east or west, would have noticed that work to improve the conditions of the island main roads in St. Kitts is well underway.
The rehabilitation of the island’s main road is one of the major capital projects being undertaken by the Team Unity-led Government in 2018. This major improvement to the island’s road network is estimated to cost in the region of EC$69 million.
The five local entities awarded contracts to participate in phase one of the road project are Allie Construction, Boonies Construction, B&B Ltd., Huggins and Son Construction and O’Loughlin Construction.
In giving an update on the project, Minister responsible for Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd, said he is pleased that the Government has been able to mobilize its resources to get this significant capital project off the ground in a short space of time.
Minister Liburd stated that on the eastern side of the island, in the vicinity of CONTEC, O’Loughlin Construction is continuing work on the construction of a proper drainage system along that road, “and if you go further east, we are actually preparing the road for paving just outside of Key’s village.”
The minister further noted that road work is taking place simultaneously on the western side of the island, particularly in the Camps, West Farm and Challengers areas. In these villages, contractors are focusing on the building of drains, sidewalks, retention walls and the widening of the main road.
Minister Liburd said the rehabilitation of the island’s road network was identified as a key priority area for the Team Unity Administration upon assuming office.
“We’re not going to leave any work to be done to what I call political expediency,” the minister insisted. “In the past whenever there is an election due, you would see some major road works started just before the elections. But we have a different approach. We inherited the roads in some terrible conditions and it affects all those who drive on the roads; the wear and tear on vehicles is expedited and we decided that we are going to fix the roads.”
Barring unforeseen difficulties, Minister Liburd said the work on phase one of the island main road rehabilitation project is expected to be completed in three months time.
