The plans to improve the road network in New Providence have encountered a snag, the Minister of Works and Utilities Bradley Roberts reported, while admitting to frustrations over those difficulties.
The New Providence Road Improvement Project, a comprehensive design to expand, improve and rehabilitate road corridors, is viewed as pivotal to alleviate the bumper to bumper traffic congestion which plagues the island, especially during peak periods.
However, Minister Roberts reported that in one instance no bids had been submitted and in another a decision was made to reduce the scope of the work in order to accommodate reasonable pricing by local companies.
Initially, the road redesign plan was a single project, but officials made the decision to reduce the work into smaller projects or slices to further facilitate the involvement of Bahamian companies.
The ministry had opened the bidding process for several of the slices in January. But by the close of bidding in early May, it had not received any bids for two of the smaller works, the minister said.
“My technical staff have had preliminary discussions with the [Inter-American Development Bank] and based on our loan agreement, we intend to proceed on the basis of limited bidding,” he said.
The government secured a multimillion-dollar loan from the IDB to help fund the work.
The limited bidding process permits the issuance of bid documents to at least three or more international applicants.
Mr. Roberts said he is already considering six companies, which are interested in submitting bids on a post qualification basis. It is expected that the bid documents will be issued to the short listed bidders by July or August with the intention of beginning the work as soon as possible.
The next scope of road works is expected to entail the expansion and improvement of Baillou Hill Road from Independence Highway to Carmichael Road, another part of the Baillou Hill Road corridor from Robinson Road to Duke Street and an additional thoroughfare from East Street to Robinson Road.
Also, the project, being called slice 1, will include road realignment at Saunders Beach on West Bay Street and John F. Kennedy Drive from Farrington Road to Bethel Avenue.
Initially, potential bidders were given the option of bidding on slice one exclusively or on another package of the road improvement works or jointly.
Slice 2 involves changes to the road corridor on Robinson Road from Baillou Hill Road to Claridge Road; Prince Charles Drive from Marathon Road to Fox Hill Road, Marathon Road from Robinson Road to Wulff Road; Wulff Road from Marathon Road to Bernard Road/Village Road and the road strip from Claridge Road to Marathon Road.
After the Ministry of Works and Utilities issued the Specific Procurement Notice both locally and internationally, 12 applicants came forward; five from The Bahamas and the remainder from the U.S. Argentina, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.
However, by the time a pre-bid meeting was held in February to brief them on the bid documents, only three of the overseas applicants showed up. Eventually, by the close of bidding on May 9, there were no bids submitted.
As for another portion of the project that relates to another five miles of road on the island, the Ministry of Works and Utilities has decided to make some changes. The slice 3 plan involves changes to Bamboo Boulevard, the Charles Saunders and Sir Milo Butler highways, Fire Trail Road and Abundant Life Road.
Officials had designated this project as exclusively for local contractors who would be paid through government funding.
The entire project is being funded jointly with financing from the IDB.
Four local companies had pre-qualified to bid on the work; Bahamas Hot Mix Limited, Bethellﾒs Trucking and Heavy Equipment Services, Bill Simmons Trucking and Heavy Equipment and Dozer Heavy Equipment. However, only one of them, a joint venture between Bahamas Hot Mix and Bethellﾒs Trucking, followed through a submitted a bid.
But even that bid was found to be exceptionally high, Mr. Roberts said.
“My ministry met with the joint venture in an attempt to negotiate on price,” he said. “However, the joint venture declined to lower their bid amount. Regretfully, after careful evaluation and consideration of the large difference in price, my ministry rejected the joint ventureﾒs bid in May 2006.”
The minister explained that ultimately, the decision was made to reduce the size of the project because based on discussions with the contractors it was found that the project would not allow a cost effective management of resources.
Now, it is expected that bid documents for 3A will be disseminated to local contractors by July or August and the documents for 3B are scheduled to be issued by June or July.
The plan to improve Fire Trail Road now involves the creation of a dual carriageway rather than maintaining the existing two-lane corridor.
“Fortunately, in this instance, the required right of way for the construction of a dual carriageway has already been acquired under the New Providence Road Improvement Project,” Minister Roberts said.
“I have instructed my technical staff to proceed post haste with the design and construction of a dual carriageway for this corridor rather than having to upgrade the two lane carriageway to a dual carriageway in a short span of time.”
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
