• Category

  • Content Type

Advertisement

Works Ministry Carrying Out Road Improvement Projects in North Clarendon

February 27, 2007

The Full Story

Thousands of residents from communities in North West Clarendon are slated to benefit from improved road conditions, under a project being undertaken by the Housing, Transport, Water and Works Ministry under the $3.5 billion Flood Damage Rehabilitation Programme.
State Minister in the Ministry, Richard Azan, on Friday (Feb. 23) toured the projects in Moravia, Silent Hill, Lampard, Quarry, Coffee Piece and Jericho, where work is being done to repair flood damage.
While work on the segment of roadway from Moravia to Silent Hill is complete, the section from Christiana to Moravia is almost finished, and the section from Morrison Hill was about 70 per cent complete.
In addition, work on the road in Lampard has just been started, while Quarry is about 90 per cent complete and Jericho is approximately 95 per cent complete. Mr. Azan said that weather permitting, in the next three weeks, all of these roads would be completed.
Meanwhile, he informed that documents would be tendered for the construction of a bridge to link the communities of Quarry and Bryan Piece, “so that those who are travelling from Coffee Piece to Smithville will not have to travel eight miles, but will only travel three miles”.
In terms of the cost of the works, Mr. Azan said that most of the projects began as forced accounts, which he claimed, was much cheaper. “When we are finished, if it was contracted, we would have to pay two times the (current) amount. The forced account is much cheaper, therefore we can get a better quality of work,” he pointed out.
Citing the example of the Quarry Road, Mr. Azan said that, “when they gave us the estimate at the time, they said it would cost $40 million. However, so far, from information that I have, we [have not] spent $9 million yet . [which shows] that the forced account work is paying off”.
In addition to work being done on the roads, a basic school is being built at Carty Hill to accommodate some 160 students. Mr. Azan said that the school was being built at a cost of more than $8 million, with support from the Culture, Health, Art, Sports and Education (CHASE) Fund. The project, he said, should be completed in March.
Another basic school is slated to be built in Sanguinity and Mr. Azan informed that, “the contractor is to bring in his insurance bond and as soon as he [does that] the work will start”.
Meanwhile residents of the communities are elated about the work being done in the parish. Oliver Powell, a farmer of Coffee Piece district said he appreciated the work as it would make it easier to get his goods to the market.
“As farmers, it is easier for us to put (the goods) on the road and the vehicle will come to pick it up.”
The Special Flood Damage Rehabilitation Programme is being financed through the PetroCaribe Fund, and is aimed at rehabilitating flood damage areas and dealing with flood mitigation.

Last Updated: February 27, 2007

Skip to content