The Government of St. Vinencent and the Grenadines is expected to make a decision later this month on a request by the contractor to extend the completion date for work on the road between Rillan Hill and Penniston.
Dipcon Engineering has missed the July 31 competition date for the project, with just 65% of the civil works completed.
MP for South Leeward, Nigel Stephenson, raised the issue in Parliament, telling Works Minister Montgomery Daniel that the road had been badly damaged by heavy equipment taking materials to a “recently-constructed resort”, a reference to Sandals Resort at Buccament Bay, also in South Leeward.
Stephenson noted that repairs had been underway for more than a year, making it very difficult for motorists and pedestrians to traverse because some areas are very hard to manoeuvre.
He asked Daniel when the road would be completed, the cost of its rehabilitation and whether there was any change in the original cost and intended completion date.
Daniel told Parliament that Dipcon had completed about 65% of the civil works, including works on drains, retaining walls and culverts, adding that this meant that the works would not be completed by July 31.
He said the contractor had asked for an extension to the end of September 2025 to complete that contract.
“This request, however, is under review, and it should be cleared by the engineering department by the end of August,” Daniel said.
“The contractor has expressed challenges in obtaining aggregate locally to meet the engineer’s specification for the base material required, and he’s in the process of obtaining the required material from St. Lucia,” the works minister told Parliament.
“That should be here within the next two or so weeks,” he said, adding that there had been no change to the original contract sum: EC$6.85 million.
This project reflects broader criticisms of the ULP government’s poor management of infrastructure, persistent delays, a lack of transparency, and a failure to hold contractors accountable. If the government grants an extension without imposing penalties or cost controls, it sets a dangerous precedent for future projects.
In order to prevent recurring issues, A government must enforce stricter penalties for contractors who miss deadlines, conduct a transparent review of project costs and delays, and make the findings public. Include clauses in future contracts requiring developers, such as Sandals, to contribute to road repairs if their operations cause damage.
The ULP is a sorry case of a government, incompetent and dumb.
Well there is no money for road repair at this time because the port is eating up the funds and sinking slowly. Why did the government start a project like the port that will have little or no effect on the island economy? Is there a plan somewhere out there that show how much work and money the port will generate after the foreigners get paid and leave? The function of a port is to import and export material and products. All SVG has to export are volcanic rocks and that’s not even going through that port.