The Tribune

THE New Providence Road Improvement Project, which began in January 2009, is now “substantially” complete, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works Philip Davis said.

“The process has been long and arduous,” he said. “Many people, with legitimate cause, have complained about the process. Businesspersons and homeowners have complained. Commuters have complained. I have complained, as have my colleagues.”

Mr Davis said the contractor has placed the final layer of asphalt on all 16 corridors of the project and his ministry is currently in the process of carrying out site inspections and reviewing quality index scores.

He added that consultant engineer Mott MacDonald has recommended that eight road corridors are ready for takeover by the government.

“My ministry has approved taking-over of five corridors which includes the West Bay Street realignment on Saunders Beach (C-18); the extension of Bethel Avenue from Saunders Beach to JFK Drive (C-5); the six legged roundabout at Thompson Boulevard and JFK Drive (S-24); East Street between Robinson and Soldier Roads (C-12) and Bamboo Boulevard from East Street to Pinewood Boulevard (C-1A),” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“The taking-over recommendation by Engineer Mott MacDonald for Corridor 4 – Bethel Avenue between the six legged roundabout and the Tonique Williams-Darling Highway; Corridor 15 – Marathon Road between the Mall and the Wulff Road Roundabout; and Section 23 – Marathon Intersection – are currently under review by my ministry,” he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Davis said the remaining eight road corridors are still undergoing the formal process of checking and inspections by the consulting engineer and the ministry’s technical staff.

It is anticipated, he added, that this process will be completed in another two to four weeks.

“The process of checking and inspections, whilst not complicated, involves a lot of activities for the final quality inspections and checks, to achieve minimum requirements prior to taking-over,” Mr Davis said. “For example, the drainage system on some corridors like Robinson Road have been installed for quite some time and are full of silt and debris.

“The contractor has had to clean out the drainage system as part of the process of taking-over. You may have seen the workers doing this on the various corridors.”

He said the process of taking over includes the preparation of detailed “punch lists” consisting of remedial and other work during the six to 12 months following take-over.

“Once the overall minimum requirements are achieved, the relevant road corridor is recommended for taking-over by the consultant engineer, which is then followed by a joint inspection with the contracting agency, the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, which, in turn, instructs any additional minor works and provides a formal authorisation to the engineer to issue a taking-over certificate to the contractor,” Mr Davis said.

Deputy Prime Minister Davis said that since coming into office last year, his government has ensured that the project proceeded with an emphasis on reducing the impact on local businesses and drivers.

He said the successful strategy developed to achieve this depended on milestone targets for last summer and Christmas, together with his ministry’s insistence that the contractor increase his efforts and lay asphalt at earlier dates than scheduled, leading to a reduction in disruption from traffic management.

“We have also commenced assessment of accommodation works on the project corridors to determine any tie-in works to be conducted for properties adjacent to the roadway. These minor tie-in works will be undertaken between February 2013 and January 2014,” Mr Davis said.

“This period, from now through January 2014, will, therefore, involve a thorough review of all elements of the project.”

“I believe that all will agree that it is good to finally come to the point where we see the completion of the NPRIP as happening.”

Deputy Prime Minister Davis said that, on another note, he was pleased to confirm that his ministry is now at the bidding stage for the Big Pond Park Development Project.

Only four out of five pre-qualified contractors collected the documents.

Further to the collection of bidding documents, a pre-bid meeting was held on January 10, where only three of the pre-qualified contractors attended the meeting, he said.

“This project is anticipated to start in April 2013 for a construction period of six months. Upon completion of the first phase of this project, the public will be able to access and visit the Big Pond area built up with a children’s playground area, walking trails with a boardwalk over the pond, basketball courts, picnic areas with tables and benches, and a vehicular parking area,” he said.

“We are committed to the process of creating infrastructure and facilities which permit citizens to enjoy their environs rather that having to face otherwise avoidable challenges owing to a lack of care and concern. This is our work which we remain dedicated to.”