King Says Saint Lucia’s Infrastructure In Deficit

At a pre-Cabinet press briefing on Monday the Minister with Responsibility for Infrastructure, Ports and Transport, Stephenson King, updated the media on the state of the country’s infrastructure.

“In the year of infrastructure the department of infrastructure, ports and transport has undertaken a number of road rehabilitation works and also road maintenance activities,”  King stated.

“In this regard the department has been responding to the needs of Saint Lucians. We recognise that the road infrastructure in Saint Lucia has deteriorated over a period of time and in many instances that period of deterioration has been well over five years, ten years thereabout,” he explained.

“What we have also realised is that our infrastructure, apart from decaying we are in deficit in terms of maintaining our infrastructure, whether it is water, roads and you name it. In all of those areas we are in deficit and so the year of infrastructure falls in line with our strategic plan,” King said.

The plan the Minister told reporters,  is referred to as infrastructure 2030 and challenges the Government to bring existing infrastructure up to date and forecast needs by the year 2030.

King then went on to outline a number of ongoing road projects under the Road Improvement and Maintenance Programme (RIMP) coupled with the department’s infrastructure programme.

These projects include rehabilitation road works in Vieux Fort North on the Zabor/Belle Vue road to the tune of 10.4 million dollars.

There is also the Canaries Road and bridge rehabilitation work, the La Pointe road in Micoud North, the Assou Canal road rehabilitation in Gros Islet and the Beausejour-Caille Mange road.

The Minister also outlined smaller road projects in Canelles as well as the Cedar Heights Road project.

King said CIP monies have also been allocated for road projects in Babonneau, Laborie, Dennery South, Micoud North, Coubaril, Castries East and Castries South.

In addition, he explained that the ongoing Chaussee road works are part of a wider scope to rehabilitate the major roads in the city.

“The Chaussee road is under rehabilitation, it is being constructed as we speak. The department took a very strategic decision where we insisted that before we tackle Chaussee Road, we should change the water infrastructure so the government has spent some 2.6 million dollars on changing the water lines along Chaussee road in Castries,” King revealed.

The original asbestos pipelines, he explained, were more than sixty years old and were being replaced with more durable PVC.

He announced that the contractor is beginning preparations for the paving of the road next weekend.

Following this phase, King says the department will launch a road rehabilitation programme for the city of Castries to include Brazil, Jeremie, Bridge and Manoel Streets.