Gov’t, KDL agree new deadlines on delayed road projects

The government and Kuwait Dynamic Limited (KDL) have reached new completion deadlines for several long-delayed roads across St. Vincent, including the road to Ottley Hall.

They agreed to the deadlines after yet another meeting between Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and representatives of KDL, the Kuwaiti Government — which is financing the projects — and subcontractors.

Gonsalves said on NBC Radio that the meeting was held over two days and included the acting director of the Kuwaiti Fund.

“… because I wrote them a very strong second letter about the slow pace by the contractor,” he said.

He said that as a result of that letter, Minister of Finance Camillo Gonsalves met with the Kuwaiti Fund on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund-World Bank meetings in Washington in April and the meeting was arranged for this month.

“So, this is the meeting with everybody — consultants, contractors, the Kuwaiti fund, state administration, Ministry of Works, BRAGSA; everybody,” Gonsalves said.

“And they met with subcontractors. I didn’t meet with subcontractors. But the main man who deals with paving, Dipcon, I spoke to Dipcon when I was finalising a meeting [on Tuesday] and finalising an agreement as to how we’re going forward,” the prime minister said.

“And we come to an arrangement as to how we’re going to finish this project — the roads,” Gonsalves said, noting that EC$$90 million was allocated to roads under the project.

He noted that phase one includes agriculture feeder roads — secondary roads – and 10 roads were to be done under this phase.

However, only five of them have been completed, namely, Belair Village Road, Brighton, Salt Pond Road, Calder Main Road, Colonarie Estate Road and Greiggs-Lowmans Road.

“These five have contractors assigned to them, subcontractors because the overall contractor is what they call in St. Vincent, KDL, Kuwait Dynamic Ltd,” the prime minister said on NBC Radio.

Work is ongoing on the five other roads in phase 1, namely Enhams Road, Montreal Gardens Road, Ottley Hall Main Road, Sayers Village Road and Carriere Road.

“Some of these works, you see works being done, drains and concrete works. Some of them just concrete alone, others with paving…”

The prime minister said the agreement reached is that these five roads will be completed by Dec. 31.

Meanwhile, only three of the 13 roads to be done under phase 2 of the project are complete, namely Richland Park, Lauders-Chapman and Very Vine.

The remaining roads — Benjamin Bristol, Copeland, Fairhall, Farm-Macmillan, Gomea, Lammy, Malone, Orange Hill Lot 2, Orange Hill Lot Three and Palmyra — will be completed by the end of December, or January 2025.

Gonsalves said the Benjamin Bristol Road was to be asphalted but the chief engineer has proposed that it be concreted.

“… and I tell them go ahead,” Gonsalves said, adding that there are some problems with some of the roads, mentioning Palmyra and Copeland.

“Palmyra is very narrow and you have to do a lot of concrete work. but you had to finish half of Palmyra before you can go to Copeland Road. … and the modality has been worked out how that is to be done.”