The $18 million Layou East Road project will be completed this year, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced.
He made the announcement while presenting the 2022-2023 National Budget this week.
He stated that during this fiscal year, his government will continue to invest in building robust and resilient infrastructure to ensure the safety of citizens, enhance the aesthetics of the country, improve access and connectivity, increase social interaction across communities, and support the economic development of our country.
“This year, we will see the completion of the $18 million Layou East Road project with a new and improved road alignment,” the Prime Minister revealed. “This new road will improve connectivity between the West and East Coasts and expand opportunities in the agriculture and tourism sectors.”
He also mentioned the $126 million rehabilitation of the East Coast Road from Bois Diable through Castle Bruce and the Kalinago Territory and into Hatton Garden is scheduled to be completed by June 2023.
“Once completed, Dominicans, and in particular, the people of the east will drive comfortably on a resilient 25-mile highway that is much wider and safer, with several new bridges and water crossings, and lighting,” Skerrit stated.
Reconstruction of the Wotten Waven/Morne Prosper link road is also one of the government’s infrastructure projects this fiscal year.
“The previously used section of road leading to Wotten Waven was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and the current instability of the high cliffs poses a challenge for safe and economical rehabilitation of the area,” Skerrit explained. “Retaining walls will be constructed along the by-pass to allow for the widening of corners along with the construction of a new box bridge to improve the road’s overall alignment.”
The estimated cost of this project is $3 million.
With respect to the Loubiere to Bagatelle Road project, the Prime Minister reported to the people of the south that the tender process is nearing completion.
“We are in final discussions with a contractor, and it is expected that a contract will be awarded for the works no later than September 2022. This means that work should begin before the end of this calendar year,” he revealed.
The project will include the replacement of all the bridges from Loubiere to Grand Bay, road realignment and widening, and a new drainage system as well as the construction of a new bridge at Micham.
According to the Prime Minister, the Roseau Enhancement Programme will continue this fiscal year with the reconstruction of Great George Street which will begin by September. He said plans are also afoot to construct a modern administrative complex in Portsmouth during this fiscal year.
“This Complex will support the provision of increased public services to the North of the island, [and] provide improved accommodation for public officers and the general public [in terms of ] accessing services. The new Complex will accommodate all of Government’s financial services in the North including the sub-treasury, Dominica Social Security, and Inland Revenue,” Skerrit noted.
He mentioned that the building will also house the Portsmouth Town Council, Government offices, conference, training, and meeting rooms, among others. A parking lot and a bypass road will also be constructed to facilitate access, and according to the Prime Minister, lands have been acquired for this project.
The designs, according to him. have been completed and in the coming weeks, the community will be further engaged in the proposed plans for this project.
Other projects for this fiscal year, include the upgrade of five top attraction sites, several other major road projects, and the commencement in September 2022 of capital works on various projects and capacity-strengthening interventions under the Water Sector Strategic Development Project.
“This will be undertaken at a total cost of $107 million. utilizing grant funds from the government of the United Kingdom. The primary goal of this Project is to build climate resilience in the water sector and will include substantial replacement of infrastructure and supply pipelines,” Skerrit noted. “Approximately 17,000 residents will all benefit from improved water service.”
He said the proposed projects will provide direct employment to at least 200 residents during the construction periods.
The Government will also begin the construction of a new jetty, a protected bay using rock armour, a slipway to get the boats to safety, customs, and immigration offices, improved commercial spaces for local residents, and the enhancement of the fisheries locker rooms among other improvements.
“Designs have been completed and an invitation to tender for the works will be issued shortly,” he noted. “It is anticipated that work on this new port will commence no later than the first quarter of [the] calendar year 2023,” the Prime Minister indicated.
Meanwhile, Skerrit revealed that the Dominica-China Friendship Hospital is nearing completion.
He said also that the new Marigot Hospital which began in January 2020 is now complete, and the medical equipment and furnishings are currently being installed.
“The new hospital allows for the decentralization of services, where patients will be offered a wider range of services,” the Prime Minister said. “The presence of an ICU, Operating Theatre, Dialysis Unit, among many other features, will ensure that patients in the Marigot Health District can now access improved services in a more timely manner.”
He added, “All of these achievements and many that I have not mentioned, such as the investments in [the] training of our doctors, nurses, community health aides as well as a new Hospital Authority, are all part of a deliberate plan to ensure that Dominica offers the best health care possible to our people, comparable to developed countries.”
Overly ambitious eh!
De man speaking like he on de mike on campaign bursting a sweat talking to a bunch of people with their heads full of liquor!
real estate developer?
Nothing about the Roseau to Soufriere Road? These cliffs need to be shelved and the road widened. Twenty years in office and still the same crazy road. Common Labah.
Dr Dr what next you guys planning to build; a DLP (rocket) launch pad? my advise to you is build it in Grand Savanah Salisbury (because I’m sure you all will never take off “pa la pa la Bawi?”; I just can’t keep up with your “pie-in-the-sky” projects, easy nah! we all know they are all; keep voting me in office projects. This DLP admin has never built a single road since in office all they have done is “rehabilitation of those roads they met built by previous Governments, and which every succeeding Administration has done once they get into office; what is sad about these recalcitrant Admin, is they refuse to rehabilitate or continue any road project that the UWP administration undertook while in office; shame on you dumb! dumb!
That Layou River road should have been reconstructed over a decade ago. That is a real dereliction of duty to allow that road to get so dilapidated for so long. That was the main artery for people on the west coast to travel to the airport and this lazy government could not find it within themselves to make it at least passable for motorists.
Not only that, but the alternate route via Warner was in such poor condition with pothole all over the road surface. And now the prime minister is coming to the house behaving as if he is the knight in shining armor.
If the the road had been done 10 years ago you would have still said on that day of completion that that road should have been done 10 years ago. Same old s… from you. You are just a hater and you do not like progress. You are just another batiman.
Do you remember who promised to have it done? Do you? Not only once he promised but twice. Guess what, always a couple of weeks before elections. Can’t YOU see a pattern? I can.
Rome was not built in a day. Why do you want everything built in one day, Beta? Is it for Beta or for worse? Which one?
Nothing from the opposition presentation in the house of parliament in response to the budget presented by the tainted and illegitimate dictatorship.
Just asking. Is this a case of who pays the piper calls the tune? Inquiring minds want to know.
ADMIN: We are working on an article. We have reached out to Lennox Linton and other UWP members for the full copy of his address with no response at the time of this posting.