AFTER SEVERE CRITICISM of the time it has taken to complete the road at St Martin’s, St Philip, the contractor, Rayside Construction Limited, has indicated that the project is now 95 per cent complete.
Roger Padmore, Rayside’s contracts manager, said outstanding work included the building of a retaining wall by the cemetery, digging a well to contain the run-off water and completing a culvert.
He said that “before the water drained into the cemetery, but we’re not allowing that to continue”. He said that work undertaken on the road was a major improvement and the company now had less than 100 metres of surfacing to complete the project.
“Any complaints now will have to be about the speed at which the vehicles are traversing the area. We’re urging motorists to be cautious as it is a school zone,” he added.
Residents and business people in and around St Martin complained consistently about the roadworks but are generally happy with what has been done.
Everton John Weekes noted that with most of the road completed it was much better for residents and that he had no more complaints.
Owner of NSS Hardware, Winston Callender was pleased with the progress of the roadworks and said some of his customers were “gradually coming back, more so on the weekends”, especially those from in the area. He added that “gradually sales [were] starting to pick up”.
Callender is hopeful that the work would be completed by next month and noted, “it is taking shape and the entire area up to the school has been paved, but the diversion still running people”.
At the neighbouring Trimart Supermarket, Vincent Weir, assistant manager noted that there had been improvements for the business with some customers returning, while Marion?Clarke of Sparkie’s Place was much happier with the way things were now given the severe challenges she faced while the project was in progress. She thanked the contractors for wetting the road and keeping down the dust.
Delays in payment from government had hindered the project’s progress.
Rayside in the meantime is pushing ahead with two major roadworks; the East Point to Well House road, St Philip, and the Holy Innocents Highway 2 improvement project. However, it is not working on the Byde Mill to Brighton, St George or Sayes Court, Christ Church roads at this moment.
Padmore said that the Holy Innocents Project which started last October “is very intense; a road improvement which requires provision of sidewalks from the school to Harrison’s Cave and provision of a foot bridge over the gully”.
This project, which requires major civil works, will also involve the setting back of boundary walls, but he noted, “we have been getting good support from residents in the areas in this project”.
“When this project is completed, it will provide a safe environment for schoolchildren, other pedestrians and vehicular traffic,” Padmore said of the Caribbean Development Bank-financed $5.9 million roadworks which are being undertaken for Caves of Barbados.
They are scheduled to be finished in July.
Herbert Harewood, Rayside’s manager of human resource and operations, said the company was using what he termed “a project-oriented approach to each project”, all in an effort to keep the 233 staff employed.
While Rayside is depending on government projects to keep it afloat, it has also been doing a number of private projects and Harewood said the company will be employing new strategies as it works more closely with small contractors.
