Engineers waiting on dry spell to correct issues on Leeward Highway – Francis

Rain continues to hinder the completion of the South Leeward highway rehabilitation project, while a few sections of the road that have already been paved have been negatively impacted by rain water.

Minister of Transport and Works Senator Julian Francis said on Monday that he is aware of the issues in relation to the EC$25 million project and that the contractors, Dipcon Engineering Services, are awaiting {{more}}a dry spell to correct some of the problems.

Minister Francis said that some areas of the road suffered when the base material was being put down and at one point, a certain part of the road which was already paved had to be dug up and done over.

He noted also that the drainage aspect of the project is not yet completed, while the area of road between the Kingstown cemetery gap and the back gate of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) had water seeping under the asphalt, causing it to become wavy and bumpy.

“I am not happy, but I understand and we will correct it. The engineers are waiting for a dry spell to correct the issues,” said Francis.

In April 2014, the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines and Dipcon Engineering Services signed the contract for the rehabilitation of the highway. The area of road being redone starts at Bentick Square (the corner of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital) and ends at Layou. The project was expected to take 21 months, but has gone past the completion date.(LC)