Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit has announced that works will soon begin on the Loubiere to Bagatelle road.
He made the disclosure while addressing a press briefing earlier this week.
According to him, this project is being financed with funds from the Government of the United Kingdom(UK) by way of a grant, and part of it is also a loan by the Government of Dominica from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).
“In the next couple weeks or so I believe all of those administrative negotiations, processes could come to an end and can go to the step of issuing a contract and to commence works,” he said. “All things considered, if we were to get the negotiations down to the sum that we believe we can afford we can see work started in the next couple months or so.”
He continued, “We went to tender a first time and the bids came back way higher than the funds that are available. We decided to split the projects into two lots, lot 1 and lot 2. The bids came back again way higher than the funds that we have.”
Skerrit explained that he has taken a decision with respect to additional funds and has gotten the approval of the Caribbean Development Bank to go a particular route with the hope that the bids will come at a rate that we can afford.
He further explained that one of the reasons why the bids are coming back so high, as far as he has been advised, is based on the designs of the road.
“What we have done is we have also gotten Mr. Kendell Johnson who is one of the most experienced engineers in the country to review the bid document and also the designs,” Skerrit stated.
If the CM was a decent human being he would say: there is no progress!
Skerrit don’t worry about those people they don’t need no road they good without it, it don’t make a diffrence call election tomorrow and they will still vote for you, and still no road, bunch of you know what.
And how did the East coast $100 mil road get started within weeks, without negotiations and tendering, or is that area harder to win than Grandbay in elections?
This has echoes of Hesketh Bell’s imperial road, during last century when monies were dissipated on an unfinished road. The Loubiere to Bagatelle road habilitation project, a gift from the British people under their U.K. aid programme, was approved as a capital project in Dec. 2021, after technical assistance was approved in May, 2016 after the ravages of tropical storm Erica, by way of a U.K.CIF grant of £25.7 million. Work was supposed to have started in March of 2022 with completion by Jan. 2024. No work has been done to date and it is doubtful any will commence during the hurricane season. The guy in charge of the project is supposed to be Glen Laville of CREAD. Is he? Or is it Kendell Johnson, Francine Baron or indeed Roosevelt himself? There is no opacity, is there? Do aI smell a rat? Yes I do.
So after about 10 years of a few tens of millions sat in a bank account waiting for this project
I want to kno what happen to all the interest accumulated over the years on that money .
Those are the questions that’s NEVER gets asked .
Then the money donated to the kalinagos from Venezuela. What happen to that ? If that in an account somewhere what is happening to all the interest from that
So much money gets donated to dca it sits in an account for how many years . Then they announce that that same amount is going to be used in the project . For some reason no one remembers that interest is accumulating on that money sat in the account
That interest somehow magically disappears
Remember people 1% interest on 1 million over 10 years is 100000 . And I’m sure that banks give more that 1% interest and the amount donated was over 10 million
What I didn’t understand is this ,: are they building a new road from Geneva to bagatelle or not ? Because the loyal labour party supports of the petite savanna constituancy want something to celebrate as its been a long time lol.
I think that is unlikely Gratitude because my grapevine telling me that upgraded road was first cut back to Berikua and now apparently has been redesigned by our own wizard Mr. Johnston to reach Bellevue Chopin only, if we are lucky, in order to cut costs. I don’t want to be rumour mongering though so if anyone has better information please correct old Toto. I am particularly concerned because of fear my own sweet spot Fond St.Jean end up isolated in the process.
You just overly ambitious Skerrit……your nose more pretty than your face….. ridiculous!!!!!
So much talk!!!!!
This means that you can’t afford the work that you planned so you may have to downgrade some work……the work is more than the money you have available……by your record…. otherwise just hand de job to Montreal management and let him front load de money nuh!
But is so you accustomed to doing major work of that nature
If it was gardakan or MITC that had to get de job…..money would NEVER be an issue.
If I bid on this job I will be told that my price to high!!!!!……go figure people!!!!
Greed on high speed!
DNO milks these propaganda conferences by Roosevelt for its main sustenance of news. It reminds me of the relationship between a lactating mother and her new born baby.
Roosevelt keeps on propping up the construction industry as this is exactly where most corrupt practices occur. Politicians turn from paupers to millionaires by siphoning off public funds with no bid contracts. If you doubt me ask any honest political analyst.
Shoddy public apartment buildings, some stretches of roads and other edifices have been build with no transparency nor accountability by the incumbency. But the economy, living standards, unemployment, wages and salaries are crying out for urgent attention but the desperate cries have fallen on deaf, unfeeling ears.
The misguided priorities of this idiocracy is an affront on common sense as the oligarchs in power are imperilling the lives of the masses.
It is a good thing that the majority of Dominicans ignore your garbage completely. The number of ups you get writing all your garbage will be the same number you will receive on election day. The majority of Dominicans are very smart thinking people. As one professor in college once said to me, “you did well with me on accounting 101, why sign up for 102 in another professor’s class? Stick to me and, I did. It was worth it. Skerrit has been doing a great job as PM and, I sticking with him. He is a handsome, visionary man. He has a lot of vision. Well, you don’t see too well and, therefore, you have no vision.
This CM keeps on talking but he really doesn’t say a thing. Everything is shrouded in opaqueness. Clear trademarks of a corrupt individual who hates to give concrete figures.
I hope that in reviewing the designs, to enable the road to be completed “at a rate we can afford”, shortcuts are not taken that may compromise the road. Moreover, that geotechnical assessments will be made and the recommendations adhered to.
The Imperial Road at Antrim is a textbook example of how not to go about the cutting roads through Dominica’s challenging terrain. It ranks as one of the worst civil engineering blunders in the history of the Caribbean. It was a blunder that could have been avoided if a geotechnical survey had warned against dumping millions of tons of spoil from Red Gully on the sensitive valley floor.
Furthermore, I hope that the government contractor’s vehicles will be insured against damage to property. I am still awaiting compensation (let alone an apology!) from one such contractor for the damage done to my property when the driver of his articulated vehicle lost control and crashed through my entrance last November.
This article and how many others has DNO posted on its news site from Roosevelt’s so-called press conference? Almost too numerous to count.
How many times has DNO posted real concerns and issues severely affecting the majority of citizens? They do not have to originate with the opposition political parties.
What about a livable minimum wage; measures to bring relief from inflation; lack of transparency and accountability in government; the public library; inadequate service at the hospital in Roseau; the Chinese ‘invasion’ of Dominica; the continued monthly $64K for Roosevelt and family champagne lifestyle; the oversize, pot-bellied cabinet of ministers, etc.
DNO chooses to outdo DBS and Kairi combined with specious and spurious stories from the world’s most dishonest regime.
I challenge you, DNO, to publish these comments. I am 99.999% you would not for you don’t tolerate constructive criticisms too well. Sheltering this regime from sunlight is now your priority.
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Ibo, get a life. Everybody cannot and will not be a part of your garbage and refuse that you spew on DNO everyday. Just wait for election time. It coming soon. We all know that you are a D…-Head.