Work begins today on the North Leeward Highway

Rehabilitative work along the North Leeward highway in the vicinity of Charles Village should have begun by today.{{more}}

Brian George, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Roads, Bridges and General Services Authority (BRAGSA), told SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday that he had been given instructions from the Chief Engineer on how to proceed with repairs.

He explained that they were mobilizing material to begin work, which was expected to have begun yesterday, Thursday or today Friday.

According to George, once the material arrives on site, then the work should only require one day to “close the trench and then resurface.”

“We are hoping to start Thursday (yesterday), but it might be this week, with an attempt to rehabilitate the road in the short term, to alleviate some of the concerns,” George said.

Area Representative for North Leeward Roland Matthews, earlier this week, by way of a press release, stepped up his calls for the government to fix the road.

“This road is a threat to motorists and pedestrians who use it,” the release stated.

Matthews further contended that the issue is of concern as it also relates to the delivery of gasoline to the service station in Chateaubelair.

According to the MP for the area, he had written to SOL and voiced his concern about the situation and was told by the petrol company’s local manager Steve Francis that the supply of gas had been suspended and will resume once the road was rehabilitated.

Francis also explained that the company’s engineer had also looked at the road and diagnosed the road as level 4 or ‘Moderately Severe’, and that his company was guided by safety, health and environmental policies, and to continue to transport gasoline to the North Leeward area in such a bad state was a breach of those policies.

Matthews also indicated in the press release that he had asked a question of the Minister of Transport and Works in Parliament in October and that the Minister had assured him that officials from his ministry would have a look and make a determination.(DD)