By mid-May, the Transportation, Works and Utilities Ministry hopes to begin installing about 1,100 feet of sewer lines from the Joes Hill burial ground to the Road Town roundabout, TWU officials announced at an April 20 community meeting.
The project — which is expected to take roughly a month and will include the addition of 10 manholes — will begin at the Joes Hill junction by the burial grounds, go down MainStreet to Flemming Street, and finish off at the roundabout, according to Duane Fraites, the acting TWU chief of infrastructure, planning, research and development.
The pipes are part of a larger effort to improve the capital city’s sewerage system, and they will complement upcoming works at the shuttered Road Reef treatment plant and ongoing works to alleviate flooding in the Crabbe Lot area during heavy storms, said TWU Programme Coordinator Dillon Robin, who did not give any more details about the pending works on the treatment plant.
“It’s part of the general scope of the plan to really improve the Road Town sewage system,” Mr. Robin said.
Mr. Fraites said the ministry had spent two months on procurement, but none of the officials said how much the installation would cost and TWU officials could not be reached for comment by press time yesterday.
Two phases
Installation of the new sewer lines will be split into two phases, with the Main Street portions worked on during the day and Flemming Street at night, Mr. Robin said.
He explained that ministry officials decided to conduct the Main Street works during the day due to “the complexity” of the utility lines in the area, and they decided to work on Flemming Street at night “to alleviate the concerns that the business places and residents … in the vicinity would have in terms of the congestion.”
Officials are aware that dust from the project could become a nuisance and are prepared to enlist the help of a water truck or the fire department, among other resources, to mitigate the problem, Mr. Robin added.
Private contractors
According to Mr. Rymer, the project will be executed along with private contractors and teams from the Water and Sewerage Department, while Road Town City Manager Janis Braithwaite-Edwards is helping communicate with area businesses and ministry officials.
Mr. Fraites also said the ministry has had many discussions with the WSD, Flow, the BVI Electricity Corporation, and other utilities to ensure their services won’t be disrupted during the construction.
Addressing traffic concerns, Mr. Fraites said the ministry has explored options with the police force, including closing sections of the road or creating one-way lanes in certain areas.
“We want to once again reassure the residents, the business owners, even the pedestrians that travels that area, that all precautions will be taken,” Mr. Fraites said.
Officials allowed questions after previewing the plan, but no one in the audience asked any.
Contacted by the Beacon after the meeting, TWU Minister Kye Rymer directed this reporter to TWU Permanent Secretary Ronald Smith-Berkeley, who did not respond to questions by press time yesterday.