Published 15 April 2020
Buckie Got It, St. Kitts and Nevis News Source
GOVERNMENT ADDRESSES UNFINISHED CAPITAL PROJECTS AS THE 2020 ATLANTIC HURRICANE SEASON APPROACHES
Basseterre, St. Kitts, April 15, 2020 (SKNIS): The 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season will officially commence on June 01. Against this backdrop, Minister of Public Infrastructure, the Honourable Ian Patches Liburd, said that the government has already started addressing several capital projects that are yet to be completed.
Such projects include the Rehabilitation of the Old Road Bay Road, the Construction of the Breakwater at the Fisheries Complex, the Resurfacing of the Island Main Road, the Construction of the West Line Bust Terminal and the Resurfacing of the Airport Taxiway “A”
“We have already addressed the issues of our ongoing capital projects such as the Old Road Bay Construction. That in itself we must protect prior to the hurricane season. We, Public Works, have already approached via a letter to the commissioner of police and when in his judgment we can perhaps start that,” said Minister Liburd during Tuesday’s (April 14) edition of ‘Leadership Matters’, a virtual forum on ZIZ TV. “We have approximately 100 percent of core material in place and just about 35 percent of the armouring. We are just about to put the base on the road and to pave the road, so we did, in fact, had the intention to consult with the commissioner of police to have this done. But we have to place the amour rock to protect the work that has already been done,” he added.
Regarding the Old Road Fisheries, Minister Liburd said that “the quarry is holding some three hundred tons of the… rock that we use to armour and protect the fisheries before the hurricane season. That too will be considered as soon as there is the ease or a partial curfew.”
“The island main road, of the 47 kilometres of the plan, some 29 kilometres are done but we are aware that we have to defer the rest of it. But we were just concerned about the roundabout there in Molineux which can be done in about five days and the other,” said the minister.
He noted that the commissioner of police was also approached about the Airport Taxiway Alpha ‘A’ and the West Bust Terminal. He said that once given the green light, these will be completed before the season approaches.
Minister of Tourism and Representative for Constituency #4, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, reiterated that the projects will be protected before the 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season begins.
“We are going to ensure that these works are secured for the upcoming hurricane season because it is a significant amount of capital that the government has outlaid in that area. These are two significant projects that will inure to the benefit of the people of Constituency #4. So we will do all on our power to ensure that they are protected during the hurricane season,” said Minister Grant. “We are grateful in the constituency that we have been able to get the major capital projects, $31 million for the Old Road Bay Rehabilitation and some six ($6) million for the Old Road Bay Fisheries.”
