The Economic Planning and Sustainable Development Division of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Sustainable Development and Information Technology, has signed a contract with the St. Lucian construction company, OB Sadoo Engineering Services Ltd., for the rehabilitation of the Firebun Road at Mt. Greenan.

The contract, worth XCD2,267,639.92, was signed on 19th September 2018. The works is funded by the European Union, and is managed through the World Bank funded Regional Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (RDVRP).

The works commenced on 24th October 2018, with the mobilisation of the contractor’s resources, and physical work is due to begin in the coming week. The general public, and residents of Mt. Greenan in particular, shall experience temporary road closures to facilitate the curing of the new concrete sections as needed.

The 1.5 Km Firebun Road is an agricultural access road that serves a population of about 2,700 inhabitants from Mt. Greenan, Park Hill, and South Rivers. The majority of the Firebun Road is currently unpaved and only accessible with off-road vehicles and tractors; in particular after storm events, when the dirt road tracks become waterlogged and soggy.

The project is aiming to improve access to cultivated land and facilitate access to markets for agricultural produce, improve connectivity for the population living in the surrounding communities, and provide an alternate route when sections of the Windward Highway near Mt. Greenan and Colonarie are partially or totally closed, due to damage caused by climate change events or traffic accidents.

The co-operation of the travelling public will therefore, be appreciated.
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Background:
On 21st May 2015, the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines confirmed that it will implement the European Union 11th European Development Fund: B-envelope allocations (post December 2013 disaster) as part of the RDVRP, under a XCD17.74 million additional financing trust fund agreement, which increased the RDVRP’s project cost to XCD183.12 million. Activities to be executed under the trust fund include slope stabilisation works at Ginger Village, roads, bridges and fords rehabilitation at Grand Sable River, Longline Road and Firebun feeder road, and the rehabilitation of the Chateaubelair jetty.

SOURCE: API