April deadline for Junction roadworks
THE NATIONAL Works Agency (NWA) has projected that the Junction roadworks in St Mary will be completed by the end of April following months of delay.
CEO E.G. Hunter explained that the works being undertaken in Junction relate solely to the Chovey breakaway.
He said the contract from Agualta Vale to Broadgate spans 4.8 kilometres, and the section affected by the Chovey breakaway is 160 metres.
“It’s three per cent. Regrettably, as I said before in terms of public commentary, that three per cent area tends to define the entire corridor. So factually, we just want to set that record straight,” Hunter said during Thursday’s sitting of the Infrastructure and Physical Development Committee.
Hunter explained that the contractor to whom the contract was originally awarded had severe difficulties and the NWA had the option of either terminating or assisting with the contractual management.
“We took the decision to do the latter. He has brought in a subcontractor, and that subcontractor is nursing along. We are holding his hands and we are pushing, and I think we should be able to have substantial completion by the end of April,” he told the committee.
Hunter reasoned that St Mary is known to have very unstable soil. One of the dominant soil types in the parish is Richmond clay, which poses severe challenges for civil engineering work.
He said that the technical solution for the breakaway involves the construction of seven diamonds in the river, slope stabilisation, and rock revetment, among other things.
These works, he said, were preceded by significant soil examination. The soil tests revealed that there are at least three different soil types in the location.
“The engineering design to address that had to be rather detailed and complex because as you go through the different strata of the soil, it changes. The engineering design changed to reflect that reality.
“We think the design that we settled on and which we are now implementing will stand up and give a lasting solution to that problem,” the CEO said.
Hunter said that the contractors have passed the most challenging aspect of the project with the completion of the diamonds and the area has been fitted with drains.
Above-ground walls and roadway reconstruction are yet to be completed.