SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE CHIEF ENGINEER,MR

ALBERT JN BAPTISTE, AT THE OFFICIAL SIGNING OF

THE BANSE LA HAUT ROAD & LABORIE VILLAGE MAIN
ROAD REHABILITATION CONTRACT.

I am pleased to participate in this occasion to unveil yet

another landmark development in government's program
to provide adequate transport infrastructure, as a
requirement for socio-economic development.
Transport facilitates growth and development in the
other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, mining
and tourism, and enables Saint Lucians to travel from one
point of the island to another.
In addition to stimulating socio-economic development,
decent roads also contribute to government's effort to
reduce travel times between communities. Increased
travel times are not only an inconvenience to the
motoring public but also leads to higher vehicle
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operating cost and hence foreign exchange losses. This in

itself can have severe social and economic consequences
over the long term.
According

to

statistics

and

studies,

poor

road

infrastructure negatively impacts economic growth.

Building a secure road infrastructure network is therefore
one of the priorities of government.It is for this reason
that the vision of the Ministry of infrastructure i s to
'make transport the heartbeat of the economy'. This
clarion call, as it is intrinsically articulated in the vision of
the Ministry is not a slogan, but it is an imperative that
should find expression in the infrastructural work
programs associated with the Governments Public Sector
Investment Plan.
Since 2011, the government through the Ministry of
Infrastructure has continued to make significant strides to
provide

accessible,

secure

and

quality

road

infrastructure. The launch of this road project today is

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one of many investments by the Ministry of Infrastructure

to achieve this goal.
The Ministry is undertaking this project via the Design
Finance Build approach, to improve THE BANSE LA
HAUT ROAD & LABORIE VILLAGE MAIN ROAD
which is key in the socioeconomic development of the
wider

Laborie

community.

reconstruction exercise

The

resurfacing

and

will significantly reduce

vehicle operating cost and bring greater comfort to

motorists and commuters. Improvement to safety is
paramount and the completion of the project will lead to
greater efficiencies in the transportation of goods and
people and the provision of services in this part of the
island.
Works will be designed by the Contractor in keeping with
the Employers Requirements (ER) of the bidding and
contract documents.

As per the ER, the scope of works

shall entail:
1 Drainage structures
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2 Road pavement and shoulders (where technically

feasible)
3 Pedestrian sidewalks (where technically feasible)
4 Slope Stabilization
5 Bus stops, lay bys and bus shelters
6 Road markings, signage and road safety furniture
7 Road pavement and shoulders (where technically
feasible)
8 Pedestrian sidewalks (where technically feasible)
9 Slope Stabilization
The designer shall design to the following:
Adopted design speed of 32 kph
Pavement design life of 20 years
Bridge design flood event of 1 in 100 years
Culvert design 1 in 25 years
Drainage channels 1 in 2 years
Construction and Industrial Equipment Ltd (CIE) emerged
as the successful bidder following a competitive bidding
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process. The contractors proposed designer is Dannion

CE Ltd of Saint Lucia. The total project price is EC$
$29,903,901.26 with the breakdown of costs as follows:

Designs
$1,094,564.80
Works
$ 21,773,377.02
VAT (EC$)
$3,430,191.27
Financing Charges
(EC$)
TOTAL

$3,605,768.17

PROJECT
PRICE

$29,903,901.26

The repayment terms are 5.00% annual interest rate with a

payment period of 5 years (repayments are to be made by
Government of Saint Lucia to the contractor every quarter
starting 3 months after completion of works, i.e. issuance
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of Taking Over Certificate)

The two other bidders who tendered for the project were
Master Builders Company Limited of Saint Lucia and
Surrey Paving & Aggregate of Jamaica.
The contract duration is approximately 15 months. The
Contractor will undertake the design of the project
(approximately 4 months duration), following which he
will embark on actual construction (approximately 11
months duration).
The project will be supervised by the Special Projects
Unit of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and
Transport.
The Ministry has a responsibility to ensure that the over
1000 km o f national road network is in good condition; a
very difficult task at that with the ever dwindling budget
available to it. About $30 million has been invested in this
project comprising approximately 10 km or 1% of the
existing road network.
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More work is also being done to improve the maintenance

of roads and bridges island wide to ensure that Saint
Lucians

have access to adequate road infrastructure

wherever they are. In the next financial year, the Ministry

of Infrastructure

will continue to work diligently to

upscale the provision of adequate infrastructure and

services, where necessary, to all communities.
Ladies and gentlemen, Government has a responsibility to
create an enabling environment for job creation. While on
its own the creation of new infrastructure or rehabilitation
of existing infrastructure stimulates the private sector to
create jobs, government has a responsibility to undertake
projects that also create jobs. In addition to improving the
infrastructure, this construction will create work for a
number of locals.
On completion of this project the people of Banse La
Haut will have improved access to emergency services
such as medical, fire as well as improved access for light
and heavy vehicles services. This will complement the
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existing public emergency services.

I am

encouraged to note that that during the

construction process, the Ministry will ensure proper

environmental management to minimize negative impacts
to the communities along the road. We will also be
working with WASCO,LIME, LUCELEC and FLOW to
ensure minimum disruption to their services.

This again confirms that our responsibility as the

providers of transport infrastructure and services to the
nation does not exist in isolation. Our contribution forms
part and parcel of the work of other government
departments, state institutions and society as a whole. It
is therefore our responsibility as the transport family to
contribute to the preservation of the environment.
As we move forward, the Ministry will continue to
improve the quality of the road infrastructure and services
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in both rural and urban areas. In addition to road

construction and maintenance, we will explore the rollout
of an integrated transport infrastructure to enable the
different modes of transport, to complement each other.
The Ministry will also implement new interventions to
improve public transport to facilitate the ease movement
of passengers and goods and ensure greater road safety.
Ladies and gentlemen, in the space of just over 3 years,
the Ministry has made significant strides to improve on
the existing infrastructural stock, yet we remain
conscious of the mammoth task that lies ahead. A lot still
need to be done to address the backlog of maintenance
that exists.
The Ministry of Infrastructure is committed to work with
other government institutions, state owned companies
and agencies, the private sector, civil society and the
general public to provide adequate infrastructure and
services for the benefit and welfare of all St.Lucians.
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WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN DO

MORE!

THANK YOU

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