Government’s planning and spending on major road improvements is set to accelerate. Facilitated by about $5 million in support from the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), from next month authorities will conduct studies facilitating likely work on urban and rural thoroughfares.
A new road and bridge improvement general procurement notice issued by the regional financial institution said money would be spent on hiring consultants to conduct a Ronald Mapp Highway Improvement Feasibility Study, Scotland District Bridge Replacement Study, and Road Safety Assessment of Primary Network.
“The Government of Barbados has received financing from the Caribbean Development Bank in an amount equivalent to US$2.422 million towards improving road and bridge infrastructure and intends to apply a portion of the proceeds of this financing to technical assistance payments under contracts procured under this Road and Bridge Improvement Study,” the CDB explained.
The bank added that “it is expected that these assignments will be undertaken during the period January 2014 to December 2015”.
“Consultants from member countries of the CDB will be eligible to participate in these procurement opportunities. The Ministry of Transport and Works is the executing agency for the project,” it noted.
The funding for all of this work was approved by the CDB’s board of directors on October 17 this year.
At the time the organization said the studies “are aimed at enhancing the local Ministry of Transportation and Works’ capacity to prepare a technical and economically viable programme of capital works that will result in a more efficient and safer road network”.
“The main challenges facing the road sub-sector in Barbados are the capacity of the existing network to accommodate increasing traffic flows, the increasing maintenance burden on the MTW due to the ageing infrastructure and the relatively high incidents of road accidents,” the bank said, noting that about $200 million was spent on capital works and road maintenance in the last three years. (SC)