$100M St. Cuthbert’s Mission Road being retendered

Residents of St. Cuthbert’s Mission, an Amerindian village along the Mahaica River, are assured that work on the road to the village will recommence soon.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill said work on the $100 million road from the Soesdyke/Linden highway into the community was terminated because the contractor could not complete the works.

“That contractor was unable, incapable, and ill-equipped to execute those works. The Honourable Deputy Speaker, would be able to concur that I went to Pakuri, met with the community, sought to resolve some of the issues engage the contractor to hire some of the local people who, know the area, who know where the wash outs are so they can be involved with the process. So that we can keep it moving but the reality is we had to terminate this contract,” he told the National Assembly Monday.

He issued an apology to the village at the National Toshaos’ Conference (NTC) in July 2022, for the incomplete road works.

To ease the burdens caused by the incomplete infrastructural works, the ministry awarded a $1 million contract to the community to purchase fuel. The fuel was used to do maintenance work along the road, while government engaged a new contractor.

Minister Edghill also urged the residents to become involved in the works since the contract cannot be awarded to the village because of the procurement laws.

“This is a project of $100 million or more sir and based upon our procurement laws. Community contracts can only be up to$ 5 million. So, this is not a contract that we can award to a community because of the size of the contract… What we are seeking to do when we get a contractor engaged is to ensure that the community is involved in the executing of the works whether by way of sub-contracting or by way of being employed by the contractor to be able to execute the works.”

Government has been pushing for the involvement of residents in developmental projects within their communities.

Meanwhile, works on the $100 million road are being executed under the ministry’s miscellaneous roads programme. The ministry is currently advertising the project and will engage a contractor shortly.