Road probe - Contractor general takes on Christiana project

NWA boss to submit details of road project by next Friday

Saturday, June 04, 2011

THE controversial $800-million price tag on a one-kilometre road in Christiana, Manchester has attracted the attention of Contractor General Greg Christie, who has given CEO of the National Works Agency Patrick Wong until midday next Friday to provide detailed project particulars regarding the construction.

The stretch, located in the north-east Manchester constituency of Finance Minister Audley Shaw, is being constructed under the US$400-million Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), the contract between the Government of Jamaica and the China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC).

Wong has been required to submit to the Office of the Contractor General an executive summary outlining, among other things, the reasons of the seemingly high construction cost for the project for which ground was broken in January this year; and the rationale for selecting the project under the JDIP, if there was sufficient evidence that the overall cost of the project would have been abnormally high.

Christie has also asked that Wong produce the original contract sum for the project; a list of any project variations and the requisite approvals; the name(s) of the subcontractors selected to work on the project and a copy of the signed and dated contract document.

The NWA boss is also expected to present a copy of the work order highlighting the start-up and completion dates for the project; a copy of the site meeting schedule and copies of all site meeting minutes; copies of all payment certificates; copies of all project progress reports; and copies of all correspondence related to the project.

“It is important that the public recognises that while the circumstances of the award of subcontracts are neither regulated by the Contractor General Act nor by the Government’s Procurement Guidelines, a contractor general, nonetheless, has the statutory authority and power, under the Contractor General Act, to lawfully demand information regarding any and all matters that are associated with any sub-contract which may have been issued under the umbrella of a parent Government contract such as the Government of Jamaica/CHEC Contract,” Christie said in a press statement yesterday.

On Tuesday of this week Wong, in an extensive statement to the media, pointed out that the dream for an alternative road to Main Street, Christiana was not new as attempts were made as far back as the 1970s under the then Public Works Department. The effort, he said, was abandoned, due mainly to a lack of the necessary technology and equipment to work in what was then considered to be topography that was unfriendly to road construction.

He said further that the Christiana Development Road project is a new works project and not a road repair effort, as he defended the cost of the project.

“We are constructing this corridor through what we would classify as ‘virgin territory’. Given the nature of the topography, soil type and features such as two bridges and extensive drainage we consider the cost to be appropriate. The cost, in fact, is marginally above the engineer’s estimate, which was US$8.5 million,” the NWA CEO said in the statement.

“Indeed, if you should examine the cost of similar works that are being done in Jamaica, you will find that it is consistent with that which prevails,” Wong added. “Work is now taking place for the construction of segment 1B 1 of Highway 2000, taking the road from Sandy Bay, Clarendon to Glenmuir Road in the parish. The cost per kilometre for two lanes on this project is US$9.5 million. The US$8.9 million is therefore comparable.”

A breakdown of the costs by the NWA boss showed that over $370.7 million would be spent on the road itself, over $149.5 million on retaining structures, over $30.2 million on drainage and some $36.5 million on bridges, while preliminaries carried a $178-million price tag.

“The National Works Agency, in executing all its projects, does serious due diligence. The economic rate of return is calculated. Technical details are examined and current costs factored in, arriving at an overall estimate,” Wong said. “These things help us to satisfy ourselves that a project such as the Christiana Development Road will add value to the country and to the communities around which the development takes place.”

The NWA CEO also said that with Christiana being the second largest town in the parish of Manchester — with projections for a population of over 107,000 by the year 2030 — it was firmly held that “this kind of investment is required in order to assist with the town’s overall development”.

“Among the benefits that we expect to see is a 50 per cent reduction in travel time for motorists, reduction in fuel consumption, reduction in vehicular emissions and a reduction in commuter frustration,” Wong said.

“I hope in laying the facts on the table, the media and the entire country will see that there have been sound reasons for us embarking on this project,” Wong added.

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Road probe - Contractor general takes on Christiana project