by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – During the National Town Hall commemorating the new administration’s first year in office, Minister of Public Infrastructure, Energy, Utilities; Domestic Transport; ICT; Post, Hon. Koris Maynard, gave some updates on the government’s work in Infrastructure upgrades, development and maintenance.
The resurfacing of roads campaign continues with an emphasis on inner roads, specifically in the Boyds community, Trafalgar, Market Street and Sprot Streer, to name a few.
Outside of resurfacing roads, Public Works has embarked on the correction of some roads, including the St. Peter’s Main Road, a $10 million project, that was left out of the last island main road rehabilitation.
The deadline for the St. Peter’s Main Road Rehabilitation tender was on August 3, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Konris Maynard, said they are still weeks out from commencing work on that road.
“An evaluation is done of those who have put in bids, and then we get to the point where we start construction. That is still a few weeks out; there are a lot of little niggles to do. There’s also presently a tender out for the Project Manager of that road. Because it’s such a big project, it’s probably around a $10 million project; we want to make sure that we have a dedicated Construction Project Manager… that present tender is out, so those interested and who have the capabilities to manage such a big project, please go and get your tender from the Public Works Department.”
The Infrastructure Minister explained that while the budget only allowed for one major road repair project at the start of the year, the Cabinet had approved the continuance of new road developments throughout St. Kitts. To accomplish the new road developments, the government will inject close to $30 million in the coming months towards new road developments.
The new road developments include:
- Shadwell West South Housing
- Bodys View
- Palmetto Point
- Bar Meadows Sandy Point
- Race Course Newton Ground
- Rawlins Extention St. Paul’s
- Lodge Project
- White House Gardens St. Peter’s
- Stapleton Extention and more
Minister Maynard said these projects are expected to spill over into 2024 as many of them have phases, but they will be started in the coming months.
“In an effort to assist all the communities that have been waiting for roads for a long time, the government has decided to move on this and from our Ministry of Public Works. We have also embarked on road maintenance… Potholes are a thing that will happen, and we are working on improving our responsive time. But those depend on the resources you have and the equipment you have. So we are presently working to improve that. But if you note, one of the improvements that we have done – is in the past, when you see a pothole, they would come and just throw some asphalt in the pothole, and that’s it – This time, we’re taking it out, cutting out the area and properly addressing that particular pothole, so that it does not occur again.”
The change in addressing the issue of potholes is in anticipation of the likelihood that additional potholes will form surrounding the original; Public Works is doing some preventative maintenance in the interim until the entire road is repaved.
On the Asphalt Plant, road work was paused because the plant needed repairs, and the Public Works Minister said the Cabinet would have to decide whether St. Kitts would need a new Asphalt Plant as the existing one was left in serious disrepair.
Additionally, Minister Maynard said there is work being done to start revamping the Public Works Department to improve its operations and functionality.
