BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – IN a move sure to bring relief to motorists and pedestrians across St. Kitts, Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has provided an update on the status of the West Basseterre Bypass Road.
Construction of the project began in 2007 and was scheduled to conclude in 2008. However, a number of incidents, which notably included a bridge collapse that killed one man and injured two others, have caused work to be considerably delayed.
The original project consisted of a four kilometre road intended to allow traffic travelling to and from the eastern part of the island to bypass congestion in Basseterre. Several new components have been added, which, according to Douglas, would accommodate the physical, social and developmental conditions of the surrounding areas.
When the contract was initially awarded to Professional Technologies Ltd. in October 2006, the price tag stood at EC$18.3M.
“The additional works were incorporated into a separate project after a team from the Caribbean Development Bank visited the project in November 2008 and satisfied themselves that they were necessary and that it made good economic sense,” said the Kittitian leader. “The cost estimate for the additional work is EC$10.96 million, and the revised final cost estimate for the project is EC$29.29 million.”
The diversion of utility lines and increased excavation at College Street Bridge are among the new developments. There has also been work on the road drainage system in the vicinity of the airport, with the view of reducing flooding in the Ponds Pasture area.
Additionally, the proposed junctions in Shadwell and Buckley’s have been replaced with roundabouts in order to facilitate residential and business development.
“The junction connecting Shadwell to St. Peters has been upgraded to a roundabout. A new 800 metre road and a new bridge over the College Street Ghaut had to be put in place and now provides a link to the Shadwell communities, providing growth and development in that particular area.
“To facilitate housing and commercial development, the Buckley’s junction was also upgraded to a roundabout. This move will ensure that the increased traffic generated by these developments will not cause a problem in the future,” stated Douglas.
Government officials have indicated that the West Basseterre Bypass Road would be completed by 2010. A section of the road linking St. Peters to the Kim Collins junction area opened in December 2008.
