Minister promises road relief on VG

Mark Vanterpool. File

The government said it is taking action to address the undermined road in North Sound, Virgin Gorda.

Minister of Communication and Works Mark Vanterpool made the announcement while he assessed numerous projects the Government has undertaken on the sister island.

“We’ve already issued a purchase order to begin the process to fix the road immediately. It is very dangerous, so we are tackling it right away,” the minister said.

He added that the Public Works team in Virgin Gorda should be on the project this week, and will carry out additional works to correct the issue of drainage on the road that has caused the problem.

“We are going to be doing further work on it. But, for now, we are going to try to arrest the problem, make it safe, and then look at stabilizing it for a longer term,” Vanterpool added. He was accompanied on the tour by Junior Minister for Tourism Archibald Christian and other officials from his ministry.

Lee Road

Meanwhile, the minister stated that the drainage issues on Lee Road are also being rectified as the project nears completion.

“The contractor is paving the road now and most of the drain issues have been completed. The road itself is part of the drainage solution in terms of how it is built,” he said.

The works ministry added that the Lee Road will be finalised with concrete, and overlaid with approximately two inches of asphalt. Sidewalks have also been constructed for the safety of pedestrians.

“Works on Lee Road comprised of demolishing and rebuilding concrete box drains; reconstructing 650 meters of concrete road pavement; construction of 441 meters of reinforced concrete box drains, 93 meters of reinforced concrete swale drain, a twin HDPE pipe culvert including manholes; construction of two reinforced concrete box culverts; and fabrication of metal gratings over box drains,” added the works ministry.

Airport road to be repaired

Vanterpool, in the meantime, said Government acknowledges that the territory’s ports of entry are vital to its tourism economy. He added that the administration has other projects planned for Virgin Gorda – including repairs on the Taddy Bay Airport road.

Vanterpool further stated that repair works were recently carried out on the St Thomas Bay Jetty, including the ferry dock and cargo ramp, adding that more works are planned to improve the structure of the dock.

“Works on the dock included the laying of a wearing slab with steel reinforced concrete on the existing jetty, repairing and replacing bollards, the placement of new bollards for the cargo ramp, and pouring a concrete slab on the entire apron, as well as the installation of lighting on the apron. Works began on May 1 and were completed on May 31 as scheduled,” the works ministry further said in a media release from the Government Information Service.

It added, “The Ministry of Communications and Works thanks the residents of Virgin Gorda for their patience as the Government continues to enhance the infrastructure network on the sister island.”

Drakes_650x200