‘It is not shoddy work’

The Chelsea Bridge to Richmond road way in western Hanover, which was recently fixed and then damaged by heavy bouts of rainfall in that area, is now being assessed for further repairs and completion of the original contract.

According to member of parliament for Western Hanover, Tamika Davis, it is unfortunate that the rains damaged the road before the work was complete, but the matter is under control, and the over $1 million contract will be completed.

Davis was speaking with The Gleaner, following social media posts raising questions about the quality of work being done on the road way, which according to the posts, led to its damage during the first spate of rainfall experienced in that area.

“I also saw the social media posts, and what it is insinuating, there is nothing like that,” Davis said. “It was so sad that because the rains came the contractor could not complete the work, it is not shoddy work, it is not corruption, it is not money gone to waste,” she stated.

Davis explained that the contractor have met with the National Works Agency (NWA) personnel to outline what corrective measures would be taken, adding, “as faith would have it they were to meet the Wednesday and the video came out the Tuesday,” she stated.

She explained that she is using some $3 million that she had earmarked for disaster work from her Community Development Fund to repair through the NWA, on three roads in the constituency, the Dalmally, Richmond and Archwell road ways.

“Thankfully, so far we have not experienced any disaster, so with these three road ways in a terrible state, I have applied the monies to them for some remedial work,” she said.

With the Richmond road way being the one about which questions surfaced on social media, Davis explained, “When the work ceased it was not that the work was finished, but the rains started and the work had to stop for a while.”

With respect to the quality of work being done on the roads, the member of parliament took time to explain that the NWA is the agency through which the funds for work done will be paid, and their policy would entail inspection for quality before any funds are dispensed.

“As a matter of policy, before the NWA pays out any money, the specifications are laid out in the contract itself, and before the monies are paid out the engineers from that agency must inspect and approve the work done,” she pointed out.

She said that that NWA policy sometimes lead to delay in payments to contractors, as people are being held accountable for the work they and their companies do, as the work must be of a certain standard and quality, before monies are released for work done.

Davis expressed confidence that the work on all three road ways will be completed in time, and to the best of quality, for the benefit of the people who use those road ways.