By Claude Mills, Staff ReporterCONTROVERSY CONTINUES over the North Coast Highway project as allegations of financial difficulties, delays and personality clashes haunt the progress of the work.
On the weekend, there was a clandestine meeting between Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, the National Works Agency (NWA), and Jose Cartellones, the Argentine contractors, to discuss some 'serious problems' dogging segment two of the project.
The meeting, which took place at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston, though amicable, resurrected fears that the US$60-million project will not be completed within budget and on time for its June 2005 deadline.
"The meeting was called by both sides who felt that they wanted to look at the issues which may have a direct effect on the schedule of the project," Des-mond Malcolm, project director, told The Gleaner.
He said: "The project manager for Stanley Consultants Inc., Wallace Nyrop, was concerned about the management of the project. He wasn't satisfied with the progress and he was concerned about the contractor's ability to deliver on a timely basis the project targets in accordance with the specifications of the contract and the contractor's work plan. So Mr. Nyrop recommended a certain course of action with regard to a senior manager of the contractors."
Mr. Malcolm said he was not at liberty to discuss with the press, the course of action.
He said work was expected to continue. According to him, "Nothing extraordinary came out of the meeting. The matter is being reviewed by the CEO (of the NWA) Ivan Anderson, right now, and he can either support Mr. Nyrop's recommendation or come up with some other remedy." Geraldo Aduro is the project manager of Jose Cartellones, while Stanley Consultants Inc., is a United States-based consultancy firm. The NWA oversees management of the project.
The highway, which covers 91 kilometres from Montego Bay, St. James, to Ocho Rios, St. Ann, is being done in various segments. Work started in November 2001 and is 49 per cent complete.
"The project is not behind right now. The scope of the work has increased, and the government has made certain commitments to remove obstacles such as utility lines which were done in a timely manner. Right now we are up-to-date on payments for work done," Mr. Malcolm said.
However, Gleaner sources report that financial difficulties and infrastructural problems have been impeding the progress of work on the highway, causing sporadic delays. Furthermore, there has already been an attempt to dismiss one high-ranking officer from the project, as well as rumours that Jose Cartellones is having difficulty sourcing funding to complete the project.
The contractors, Jose Cartellones, is based in Argentina, which is slowly rebounding from its present economic fallout.
Ronald Thwaites, attorney-at-law for Jose Cartellones, said there been some delays, which were not infrequent between a contractor and an employer "on contracts of this size, but the money is coming not only from the Government, but from international sources as well, and that may be subject to delays."
