Minister of Public Works and Transport Neko Grant finds quite amusing the recent paid political advertisement in The Nassau Guardian by Bradley Roberts and the Progressive Liberal Party criticising the government handling of the New Providence Road Improvement Project.
It is evident that the PLP and Bradley Roberts are trying to mislead the Bahamian people by misrepresenting what is going on with NPRIP.
From the initial phases of this project a Traffic Management Committee was formed. The Committee is comprised of the Highway Authority, Traffic Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, a Contractor’s representative, a representative from the Supervisory Engineer, and a representative from the Project Execution Unit of the Ministry of Works. The committee meets on a weekly basis. At Traffic Management meetings the contractor presents traffic management schemes that are a part of the overall traffic management master programme. The committee reviews the Traffic Management Plan to determine if all factors such as access to businesses and safety are adequately considered bearing in mind that some level of discomfort is expected while the contractor works.
Throughout all aspects of this project and all projects that the Ministry of Works is involved with, serious consideration is always given to making safety the highest of priority.
Night work has been undertaken strategically during the project such as during utilities investigations, paving, water works and where it is safest for the Bahamian workers.
The contractor communicates with people directly affected by conducting community walk abouts, in addition there are newspaper ads, radio PSAs, with all media houses. The contractor also has a public relations officer that responds to complaints/concerns from the public. The contractor speaks one on one or writes emergency services such as the police. The Ministry has a hotline and email address that the public can use to express concerns, with an active Facebook page. The Ministry via BIS also regularly releases information about the project including daily traffic updates by radio announcers on all radio stations .
Most detours/diversions are on roads that the contractor is not working on, thus minimum disruption in comfort to drivers. However, the contractor also provides temporary ramps (such as C10 Baillou Hill median cross over), and implements other measures to ensure improved drivability in challenging areas.
Local access is granted to all areas and there is signage pertaining to diversions, road closures, local access and pedestrians erected throughout the work area.
In addition to signage on diversions, the contractor ensures orange fencing or concrete blocks are placed around open holes and trenches for safety measures. Orange cones are also used to guide traffic.
It should also be noted that the contractor is working in phases. Rather than opening all the road corridors at the same time the contractor has opened corridors on a rolling basis. Further, the contractor does not work on an entire road at one time, rather the contractor phases work on each corridor so that an entire length of road is never under construction at the same time.
While the PLP makes certain comments pertaining to the NPRIP the Ministry of Works continues to work with the contractor in compliance with the contract and Traffic Management Plan to provide for the Bahamian people a quicker, safer and peaceful drive throughout the streets of New Providence.
