Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 30, 2021 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Transport is currently renovating the East Bus Line Terminal to accommodate bus drivers who have been experiencing some difficulty with the space they have to maneuver their vehicles.
Minister with responsibility for Transport, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, said that “the bus terminal is what I would consider a first-class terminal anywhere in the Caribbean region and so we are proud of it.”
However, he stated that “As you know with everything there are some shortcomings at times and so although we provided a first-class facility, once we began to use the facility, we recognized that certain adjustments had to be made over time.”
“The Unity Government, we listened to our constituents and the bus community of the East Bus Line, who said to us that there were some deficiencies and some deficiencies we ought to correct, and so that is why we are here to correct two of the deficiencies that they have been complaining about.”
Chief Engineer at the Public Works Department, George Gilbert, explained in further detail that “the suppliers have brought in some new buses which are much longer than what we know and as a result, they are experiencing some challenges in maneuvering the curb in the terminal so we are here to do some adjustments to those curbs and make it more user friendly for all.”
“When we had the initial discussion with the bus drivers, the bus drivers told us that they want to be able to queue up so at least everybody gets a piece of the action,” he said.
“But now they went back to their drawing board and they are saying when they queue up, they recognized that some of the bus drivers during an emergency, when you are in the middle of the queue, you have no way of getting out,” said Mr. Gilbert.
He said that because of this, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is making the necessary adjustments.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 24, 2021 (SKNIS): Bus drivers providing service to the Eastern side of St. Kitts were temporarily relocated to Branch Street as work to adjust driving lanes at the East Line Bus Terminal is underway.
The concern about flexibility was raised by members of the East Bus Association during various meetings with the Cabinet and other government officials over the past few days. The members also requested adjustments to make it easier for buses to exit the queuing line.
George Gilbert, Engineer at the Public Works Department, explained that some of the newer buses used for public transportation are wider and longer than some of the older buses. As such, the drivers are having difficulty with some of the tighter turns.
Deputy Prime Minister the Honourable Shawn Richards said that the government previously moved to address these issues at the terminal several months ago.
“In December last year, the Public Works Department … entered into a contract agreement with a contractor – the very same contractor who had done the work there – to make the necessary designs in terms of the space, to correct it so that they (bus drivers) are able to maneuver better,” Honourable Richards stated.
He added that the start of the reconstruction work suffered some delays, however, it has since begun “in earnest” on Monday, March 22, 2021. It is scheduled to be completed within one month.
The bus drivers also highlighted other challenges related to greater representation on the Transportation Board as well as a greater emphasis on the application of the rules regarding the pickup and drop off of passengers.
“Those concerns are being addressed by the government,” Deputy Prime Minister Richards stated, as he briefed members of the media during the Prime Minister’s Monthly Press Conference on Tuesday (March 23, 2021).
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 28, 2021 (SKNIS): Chief Engineer at the Public Works Department (PWD), George Gilbert, shared some insight into why small sections of roads that were recently paved are sometimes cut open.
It goes back to the placement of some utility lines which run underground. It is standard practice for utility companies to be notified before any major road renovation takes place. This affords the opportunity for them to upgrade their infrastructure where necessary.
The St. Kitts Water Services Department (WSD) in particular, is a key partner in this process. Since the Island Main Road Rehabilitation Project began in 2018, several older pipes have been replaced. While most of the underground pipes were relocated to run parallel to the road, some of them unavoidably still run across the road.
Mr. Gilbert said that some pipes were impacted during the road works.
“In the process, the pipe apparently got broken underground so it started leaking,” he said, noting that the pipes may be three to four feet underground.
“When you see it manifests itself on the surface, it would have spread over a large area so that area has to be cut out, and the WSD has to go in to change out those pipelines,” said Mr. Gilbert while appearing on “Working for You” on January 27, 2021.
The chief engineer added that after repairs are completed, there is a period of time that is allotted before the road is repaved. The allotted period of time is to ensure that there are no other damages in the immediate area that need addressing.
Once officials are satisfied, the road is repaved.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, January 6th, 2020 (ZIZ News) The Ministry of Public Infrastructure announced on Tuesday that traffic lights will be erected at seven areas in Basseterre but the lights going up in one of these areas are cause for concern for some persons.
On the first “On the Road-Traffic Talk”episode for the new year, Chief Engineer in the Public Works Department, George Gilbert sought to address the complaint the traffic lights being placed on the Bay Road by the Port Zante roundabout are too close to the lights by the old Treasury building.
“Yes we recognize that they are close to each other, we’ve raised that concern but from the study done we realize that…apparently because of Covid the boats are not coming in how they should but as soon as things return to normal you would have a large outflow from Port Zante in terms of traffic, taxis coming out there when the ships arrive.”
While responding to a caller’s question, he said the department will be monitoring the area to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
“What we’ll do is synchronize the light so the flow with each other and we’ll monitor it too….that comment was raised even by myself it was raised and we are going to look at it carefully, we’re going to ensure the synchronizing is done to ensure that we have the best value and the traffic is flowing without any obstruction.”
Gilbert said all traffic lights are expected to be erected by the end of March.
“On the Road- Traffic Talk” airs every Wednesday morning at 8:30am during “The Morning Show” with GCue.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 31, 2020 (SKNIS): The Explorers Youth Clubs now have a permanent place to call home following the official opening of their headquarters in Phillips Village.
The new 10,420 sq. ft building was opened by Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. The Honourable Timothy Harris, at a ceremony on Thursday, December 31, 2020. It was built by M&D Construction at a cost of $2.47 million. It features a number of amenities for the members of the twelve Explorers Clubs across St. Kitts. Each club is expected to have weekly sessions there when the threat of COVID-19 ends.
Project Engineer, George Gilbert of the Public Works Department, congratulated Myron Percival and his company M&D Construction for the excellent work in building the facility. Mr. Gilbert said that the sleeping rooms with accompanying bathrooms for males, females, and staff will allow camping events. Also featured are a recreation room, offices, a common dining room and kitchen, and a laundry area. There are three 500 gallon water storage tanks on the roof.
In giving remarks, Prime Minister Harris referred to the incredible growth of the Explorers Movement, which started in July 2017 with the launch of the Mol-Phil group. Since then, other communities have joined including Tabernacle, Shadwell, Cayon, Newtown, Lodge, Old Road, Dieppe Bay, St. Peter’s, St. Paul’s, Trinity, and Newton Ground.
Dr. Harris said that there are over 1,200 hundred explorers and he expects the numbers to continue growing as other communities have signalled an eagerness to establish clubs.
“This is a legacy development in the context of law and order in our country,” the prime minister stated. “This is a legacy initiative that generations after us will speak to as being an important stabilizer of our society and contributing to the advancement of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
He added that the government remains committed to the empowerment of young people as well as the rule of law within society. This is reflected in the record amounts allocated to related ministries for the 2021 fiscal year.
The Ministry of National Security was allocated over $86.1 million. The Ministry of Education received over $103 million, while the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture was allotted over $10 million.
Prime Minister Harris appealed to parents, businesses, and other stakeholders to join with the government in building a stronger and safer future for all.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, November 11, 2020 (SKNIS): The Island Main Road Rehabilitation Project which has entered its second phase is currently undergoing the most challenging stage from Camps round-a-bout to the airport round-a-bout.
This was stated by Chief Engineer and Project Manager for the Road Rehabilitation Project, George Gilbert, from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure during the “traffic talk” radio interview on ZIZ on November 11.
“We have a number of activities taking place in that corridor. We have The Cable there taking the opportunity to upgrade its fibre optic lines,” he said. “What they are doing is excavating and laying new ducts for their new fibre optic cable … in addition to that, we have SKELEC who is relocating poles at the same time, and doing some upgrade works too.”
“We have FLOW who is in the same corridor there also. We have the Water Department who is changing out some of its lines and making new connections, repairing connections and upgrading the work in the very same corridor,” said Mr. Gilbert.
“In addition to that we have a small contractor known as Prime Construction who is doing sidewalks and drains and the main contractor who is Surrey Paving and Aggregates who is doing the main part of the work which is removing the asphalt, removing the base, laying a new sub-base and laying a new asphalt surface.,” he stated.
Mr. Gilbert also advises the general public against using Cayon Street and Wellington Road and to make use of the Bay Road and highways if possible.
Mr. Gilbert said that there have been some setbacks because of the magnitude of rain and the vast numbers of players involved in that corridor. However, he emphasised that all those involved will work together to ensure speedy completion.
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