A section of the unfinished North Coast Highway.
Erica James-King, Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
ALTHOUGH NORTH Coast Highway Segment II is running way behind schedule and seems poised to be completed late next year, the National Works Agency is maintaining that the project has so far not incurred any cost overruns.
The project which spans some 97 kilometres from Montego Bay in St. James to Ocho Rios in St. Ann was slated to cost some US$67 million, but because of the additional scope of work done on that venture, the National Works Agency expects that it "might exceed" its original budget, when the work is completed.
"I cannot say how much it will cost when completed, but to date the project is still within the cost target laid out in the contract. That figure agreed to is just under US $67 million," Stephen Shaw, communications manager for the Western Regional Office of the National Works Agency (NWA) told Sunday Business in an interview.
The original completion date for the North Coast Highway Segment II was June 2004. But according to the NWA, the project will miss its original deadline by at least 12 months.
"We don't expect the project to be completed before mid-year next year. Up to March 25 this year, there was some 446 calendar days left for the project to be completed," Mr. Shaw disclosed on Friday.
To date, construction work on that thoroughfare is only 55 per cent complete.
The delay is blamed on the expansion in the scope of work, financial troubles which dogged aspects of the project, tardiness in relocating utility poles and water pipes, labour unrest and several bouts of inclement weather last year.
Acknowledging that financial woes loomed large in triggering delays, the NWA Regional Com-munications Manager said, "The availability of funds at a particular time did cause some delays in the work and in the relocation of utilities."
On more than one occasion last year, reports surfaced that the Government was lagging behind in its payment to the Argentine contractors on the Highway, Jose Cartellone; and that the contractors were reportedly tardy in paying its sub-contractors. One sub-contractor who had spoken out on the matter of late payments was Explosive Sales and Services. Meanwhile, Mr. Shaw is of the view that once utility fixtures are removed from several areas of the highway, the pace of work would accelerate.
PROBLEMS OF WATER MAINS
"Unlike the North Coast Segment I that went through a lot of virgin areas, Segment II goes through a lot of built-up areas and this means a lot of water mains are in the intended path of the highway," Mr. Shaw said. "We want to prevent any digging up of the road in the future to fix the pipes, so in some cases the work had to wait until the pipes were relocated."
The Transport Ministry is reporting that the relocation of NWC pipelines are 56 per cent complete, while the relocation of all utility poles are 90 per cent finished. As for the resettlement of all households affected by the project, the Ministry is giving the assurance that it is 92 per cent complete.
Highlighting some of the work being completed on the highway, Mr. Shaw pointed out that rock excavation and road excavation is under way, road surfacing has been done in some areas while, four bridges have already been started and 12 box culverts have been completed.
"The overpass bridges at Falmouth/Wakefield Road and at Martha Brae have already had their abutments and girders erected. Those two bridges should be finished by August," noted Mr. Shaw. "We also have five box culverts being constructed now and one is being done near Sandals Royal Caribbean."
Among the features listed in the increased scope of work to be undertaken on the highway are: the addition of two bypasses and underpasses, more major alignments of roadways and the paving of the shoulders of the roadway.
The Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representative shows an allocation of $1.5 Billion to the Northern Jamaica Develop-ment Project (NJDP) which has responsibility for the North Coast Highway.
The money earmarked for NJDP is to be used for completing the majority of civil works on North Coast Highway Phase II. In addition, it will be used for procuring lands necessary for the highway and for resettling those householders who fall in the path of that roadway.
The project is being jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica, the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union.
