Shipment puts NRA back on course
NRA Director Colford Scott shows off some of the new
arrivals. With him are
from (L-R) NRA Assistant
Director Finance and Administration Michael Barnett;
NRA Board Chairman Lemuel Hurlstone; Graduate
Engineer Edison Jackson;
Minister Gilbert McLean;
DVES Director Dale Dacres; NRA Board Deputy
Chairman
Troy Whittaker
NRA staff show off their new offices. From (L-R)
Assistant Director Finance
and Administration Michael
Barnett; Executive Officer Aldene Kidd-Hylton,
Transportation Planners Marion Pandohie, and Denis
Thibeault, Engineer: Major
Projects Peter Ogden, and
Graduate Engineer Edison Jackson.
Friday, May 6, 2005
Staff at the National Roads Authority are enjoying the luxury of a clean and
dust free workplace for the first time since Hurricane Ivan after the arrival
of two new mobile office trailers.
The recent arrival of the temporary office space and new equipment worth
over CI$1 million means things are almost back to normal at the NRA.
“The arrival of new trucks, heavy duty equipment, and the office trailers
has been a tremendous boost to staff morale. We are finally approaching some
semblance of normalcy and have a place we can call home,” said NRA Director
Colford Scott.
The Authority had been established for just two months when Hurricane Ivan
hit, damaging 50 percent of its vehicles and equipment and wrecking its
offices. The hurricane also caused damage to at least 39 sections of the
island-wide road network, cutting off some districts completely, with East
End’s roads sustaining the most damage following a strong storm surge. South
Sound Road also suffered severe wash out and the rupture of underlying
utilities.
All eight signalized intersections sustained some measure of physical
damage to the signal hardware and Hurricane Ivan impacted over 500 vertical
drain well systems. This placed a tremendous maintenance burden on the NRA.
The total emergency road repair and cleanup came close to costing CI$15
million, with road damage alone set at approximately CI$10 million.
Even with these odds stacked against them, the employees of the NRA rose to
the challenge. Within a day and a half of the storm, staff, assisted by
private sector colleagues, had made all public roads accessible for emergency
vehicles.
“I am extremely proud of my staff,” said Mr. Scott. “Despite many of them
suffering great personal losses, they continued to work with limited
resources. Two days after the storm everyone was back at work.”
Although the NRA has managed to complete all Ivan-related repairs, and has
even started work on the new Hyatt roundabout, the equipment situation had
bordered on critical, explained Mr Scott.
“It was therefore heartening when the Authority managed, with the help of
our Minister, Permanent Secretary and Chief Financial Officer, to secure
supplementary funding for much needed equipment.”
Inspecting the new NRA arrivals on site, Minister for Works, the Hon.
Gilbert McLean noted that the many projects slated for the NRA made the
replacements extremely necessary. The Minister stated: “The development of a
decent road system is integral to sustainable development. With this new
equipment I believe we have not only replaced what was lost, but have indeed
upgraded. This should also serve to boost productivity as it is always easier
to do the job when you have correct and reliable tools.”
The National Roads Authority was established 1st July 2004 by the National
Roads Authority Law (2004). It was created to administer, manage, control,
develop and maintain the Islands’ public roads and related facilities, such as
signals, stormwater facilities, roadway lighting, and roadway directional
signage.
In addition, the NRA is charged with collecting information on the
performance of the existing transportation system; forecasting future traffic
demands; and identifying possible solutions to anticipated issues in system
performance and deficiencies.
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