LENNY ROAD WORK TO START JANUARY

The resurfacing of six sections of our roads damaged extensively by the flood waters of Hurricane Lenny, is to begin in January next year.

Four of six firms, outside Anguilla, invited to submit bids for the Hurricane Lenny Road Rehabilitation Project, have sent in tenders to carry out the work. The bids were opened on Monday this week at a meeting of the Tenders Board at the Department of Infrastructure.

Chief Engineer, David Robson, said the four bids received were from the following firms: C.O. Williams Construction, a Barbados company - EC$7.88 million; Lagan Holdings Limited, a company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but undertaking a great deal of work in the Caribbean region, - EC$13.42 million; Spring Point Management, a company in Vancouver, Canada, - EC15.05 million; and Trinidad Contractors - EC$15.82 million.

The next step is for the tender documents to be sent to DLN Consultants in Barbados who will undertake the design work. They have three weeks in which to report back to the Tenders Board with a recommendation as to which company the contract should be awarded. Thereafter the Tenders Board will meet again to make a final decision before Christmas.

The project involves the Covecastles Road, Sandy Ground Road, Little Harbour Road (which will link up with the new road to be built in Blowing Point next year) the Quarter Road (from the Mahogany Tree to the junction at J.W. Proctors), the Island Harbour Road (from the jetty to St. Andrew’s Anglican Church) and the East End Road.
In addition to the resurfacing work, the drainage will be improved as well. In some cases the level of the roads will be raised. While five of the roads will have a dress surfacing, the Quarter Road will be the only stretch of bitumen road similar to the Edwin Wallace Rey Road at George Hill.
The Hurricane Lenny Road Rehabilitation Project is being financed from a loan which the Anguilla Government obtained from the Caribbean Development Bank. According to Mr. Robson it will cover 80% of construction costs while Government will cover the remaining 20%. The total cost of the project is between 12 and 13 million Eastern Caribbean dollars, inclusive of the consulting and supervision fees. The Department of Infrastructure will be making an additional contribution through the establishment of a ‘materials laboratory’ which the contractors will be using.
It is estimated that the road project will be completed in nine months time.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the new road at Blowing Point, to be financed by the EDF, has been approved in Brussels and tenders for its construction be issued early in December.