$207m for road repairs in St Mary, St Ann

ST ANN’s BAY, St Ann — A $207-million contract to design, rehabilitate and maintain 32.27 kilometres of roadway in the parishes of St Ann and St Mary was signed Tuesday by the Ministry of Transport and Works and Shouter Asphalting Specialist Company Ltd.

The signing took place at the St Ann Parish Council offices in St Ann’s Bay, between Minister of Transport and Works Robert Pickersgill and Peter Shouter, contractor. It was witnessed by Dr Fenton Ferguson, state minister in the ministry, and Horace Clarke and Shahine Robinson, members of parliament for Central St Mary and North East St Ann, respectively.

In his address, Pickersgill said the north-eastern region of the island was getting “special” attention from the ministry, pointing out that contracts worth $103 million were recently signed for major patching of roads in St Mary, St Ann, Portland and St Thomas and for the reconstruction of the Fort George Bridge in St Mary.

“This contract will address 3.60 kilometres in St Ann,” the minister said. He noted that the roads would include Church Crescent, Glasgow, Davis Street, Warren Street and Content Gardens in St Ann; and Kirk Lane, Beach Street, Hampstead Drive, School Street, Frontier Drive and Farquharson Lane in St Mary.

“For the first time, contractors will design, rehabilitate and maintain road sections for a period of six years … while meeting the performance measures, including pavement, drainage, traffic safety signs, sidewalks and vegetation and responding to public complaints,” he said.

Bidding for fourth cellular licence extended

KINGSTON — Cabinet has extend the deadline for the receipt of applications for the fourth mobile telecommunication licence from April 25, to June 7.

Colin Campbell, the information minister, said the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology had allowed a period of two months to complete the bidding process for issuance of the cellular licence.

However, he said it had come to the ministry’s attention that prospective bidders required more time to conduct their market research and analysis, as well as technical and engineering evaluations.

“Cabinet, therefore, supported an extension of time, which will be announced in both national and international media. An addendum to the bid document will also be prepared,” he told journalists at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Monday.