Road work being halted to accommodate festival

Work on the Lee Road in Virgin Gorda will not be completed in time for the Easter festival on that island, but safety measures are being implemented to make the roadway usable during the festivities to be held from Saturday until Monday, April 17.

The Ministry of Communication and Works, this afternoon, said casting already has been done on 90 percent of sidewalks. Safety covering is also being used temporarily.

“Casting for sidewalks on Lee Road is being executed, with more sidewalks being completed by Thursday (April 13) and others being prepared for casting after the festival with safety covering.”

“After works in this phase are complete, the road and construction areas will be cleared of materials for the Virgin Gorda Easter Festival to ensure the safety of pedestrians,” added the ministry.

The Lee Road is the main one running through the central area of Virgin Gorda, and is usually used especially for the Easter Monday Parade as well as the Rise and Shine Tramp.

It is also heavily utilized by persons from Tortola who enter Virgin Gorda through the St Thomas Bay Jetty.

When the $1.6 million contract for the road project was being signed in September last year, Managing Director of Creative Builders Limited Anselmo Stevens said the roadway would have been ready for festival.

But when it became apparent that completion was unlikely, there was heightened concern about whether festival activities would have been affected.

The works ministry today stated that the work will again intensify after the Easter festival, and will be completed in June.

“The project is expected to be completed in its entirety by its contractual deadline, June 2017 – eight months from the start date. The remaining work, which includes resurfacing of the road, will be executed after the Easter festivities.”

The ministry, in the meantime, said the project contractor faced “delays due to unforeseen obstacles that included underground pipes that had to be raised and replaced”.