More time needed to finish Highway 1 work

After three months of complaining about traffic diversions as well as noise and dust pollution from phase one of the $7.1 million Adaptation Measures to Counteract the Effects of Climate Change (AMCECC) ‘Ridge to Reef’ project, residents and businesses in Holetown, St James, are being asked to hold strain a little longer.

This morning Minister of Transport and Works, William Duguid, promised that relief from the inconvenience was close at hand, even though he was unable to say exactly when the work, which has resulted in section of the heavily travelled main road being out of commission, would be complete.

Minister of Transport and Works, William Duguid (left) and other officlals at the bridge at Weston, St James where remedial work also has to be completed.

“That project is one that is being done by the Ministry of the Environment and I have asked them multiple times about when the road would be completed because the travelling public needs to know when that section of Highway 1 would be re-opened. They are suggesting that they would get it done very shortly but they have not given me a time even though I wish that they would have, so that I could hold them to that timeline,” said Duguid, who along with Member of Parliament for St James North, Edmund Hinkson, did a tour of flood-prone sections of the constituency this morning.

Acknowledging that this phase of the project was only supposed to take two months, Duguid explained that the contractors carrying out the works would have encountered several major unforeseen challenges.

“They are working very quickly and as fast as they can. They recognize that they have had some lengthening of the

timelines because they had some issues with the water table, and you have to understand that there are a lot of services that go under that road. We are talking water mains, natural gas mains and also internet cable that run right along that road. This gave them some challenges in terms of getting the appropriate depth,” he explained.

In August, residents told Barbados TODAY that with all vehicles now diverted through the upscale Sunset Crest community, many of the roads have been transformed into one way streets, while the dust and noise have increased significantly. The project, which is being carried out by construction firm INFRA Inc., consists of culvert replacements, grass swale improvement and the reconstruction of concrete water channels. While residents appreciate the importance of the project, which is aimed at flood mitigation, they would like the pace of the work to be stepped up.

However, this morning Hinkson urged his constituents to exercise patience as he believes that the benefits to be derived in the long-run are well worth the inconveniences now.

“Yes, it has taken longer than the two months we were initially told and yes the works continue to be an inconvenience both for the residents and businesses out there. They have made legitimate complaints, but I think that the reality that we as a people have to understand is that you have to suffer some inconvenience in life for things to get better. At the end of the day when the works are finished, life would be improved, the roads would be better, drainage would be better,” said Hinkson.
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb