The facts are beyond dispute that PM Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement has failed to implement its own Consultant Traffic Management Plan during the construction of the New Providence Road Improvement Program. The Contractor has been allowed to dig up too many roads in New Providence and resulting in utter chaos everywhere, diversion everywhere and major cost overruns. It has been an embarrassing ball of confusion.
At the request of the Government of the Bahamas and the Inter-Development Bank Environmental Consultants in collaboration with the various agencies of the Government submitted its report entitled Supplementary Financing for New Providence Transport Program-Bahamas (NPTP) (BH-L1024), Environmental and Social Impact Report (ESIR) dated March 20th 2008. The report was prepared in order to update the former ESIR for the Supplementary Financing for New Providence Transport Program. The report can be accessed:
httphttp://idbdocs.iadb.org/wsdocs/getdocument.aspx?docnum=1415036
The Report is part states:
6.13. Disruption in traffic flow and access by residents to their properties will occur during
construction. The Contractor will present a traffic management plan during construction to
minimize these temporary impacts.
Traffic Management Master Program
7.1. The Contractor shall develop a Traffic Management Master Plan in order to minimize any
reduction of road network capacity during construction, and assure safe access to the
site. The traffic management master plan shall include at minimum the following: (i)
works sequencing and impact minimization on the road network capacity; (ii) lane
closures and detours on each section of works; (iii) roads corridors traffic management
schedule, on a month-by-month basis; (iv) constraints satisfaction approach (e.g. traffic
management constraints, possession of site, utility diversions, approvals etc); (v) specific
and general approvals from the relevant statutory bodies; (vi) night work to will be
undertaken at key locations to minimize traffic congestion; (vii) liaising with affected
residents, local businesses, public utilities, emergency services and the media on affected
roads; (viii) program communication; (ix) complaints management relating to traffic; (x)
opening of new work sections communication and coordination; (xi) traffic management
enforcement; (xii) traffic management maintenance.
7.2. Attention shall be paid by the Contractor in maintaining the riding comfort of the
roads/detours/diversions. The Contractor shall provide for and maintain pedestrian, public
and vehicular traffic during the construction period where required in the project sections
by any of the following methods: (i) construction and maintenance of diversion at the
existing pavement level when road construction is on the half width of road; (ii)
maintenance of existing road not yet taken up for construction; (iii) maintenance of
completed half width of road opened to traffic; (iv) maintenance of traffic on exposed
granular layers subject to traffic in carriageway under construction; (iv) diversion of traffic
onto secondary roads.
7.3. The pavement surface of the diversions shall be as the diverted road; the foundation shall
be adequate for the traffic and period required. The Contractor shall implement adequate
safety measures to reduce accident risks and shall install signboards and other safety
devices. The Contractor’s responsibility shall include the rectification of any damage
caused to the road, and to all accesses including any temporary or alternative access due
to passage of traffic, rains or flood. The specific requirements of the diversions shall also
depend upon the Contractor’s method of working and the Contractor shall be deemed to have covered the same in quoting his price.
7.4. The Contractor shall so conduct his operations as to offer the least possible obstruction and inconvenience to the public and he shall have under construction no greater length or amount of work than he can properly manage at a time with due regard to the rights of the public in maintaining a free flow of traffic.
The Progressive Liberal Party is satisfied that the recommendations of the Consultants were sound and logical and demand to know why the Government has failed dismally to insure compliance by the Contractor. The Public is aware that a Cabinet Minister holds an interest in a Company who are major sub-contractors of the NRIP; which raises serious concerns regarding the Government’s failure to insure compliance to international standards provided by the Government and IDB Consultants.
The FNM Government have massively betrayed the Bahamian People in allowing the Road Contractor Jose Cartolone to take a wishy washy approach in the implementation of the Road Works which was essentially tantamount to an act of Terrorism against New Providence Road Users.
Many New Providence roads have been put under a state of siege in many cases for more than a year by PM Hubert Ingraham and Minister Neko Grant who failed to insure strict adherence to the guideline established by its own selected Consultant was thoughtless, trackless and unintelligent move by the FNM Ministers. The Bahamian people would wish to hear from the Government Road Consultants Mott McDonald.
Businesses of Bahamians have been destroyed, jobs lost, damage to vehicles and excessive use of fuel and time wasted as a result of the Government failure to insure that the Contractor implemented the Government & IDB Consultant traffic management programs. This botched Road Program lost in Dollars will be very high. The Bahamian People deserves better and the Progressive Liberal Party pledges to put Bahamians first as it did with the awarding contracts to Bahamians for Road Works in 2003 thru 2007.
