Construction of the wall to protect the Savannah Gully area from flooding will cost Government from CI$4 million to CI$6 million.
Minister of Works Arden McLean. |
Giving a statement on the issue in the Legislative Assembly last week, Minister of Works Arden McLean explained why the price could not be narrowed down at this point.
‘The wide ballpark… is due to the relative uncertainty of ground conditions along the iron shore,’ he said. ‘Incompetent rock and/or cavities could delay construction and warrant alternative wall design in areas where encountered.’
There could also be another change to the wall design as it was originally submitted on 8 August. Wall designer Orth-Rodgers & Associates gave an informal presentation to Cabinet about the wall on 4 September.
As a result of that meeting, Cabinet asked Orth-Rodgers to report back within a month on the costs and other associated parameters for changing the wall design to prevent overtopping during a Category 3 hurricane as opposed to the Category 2 standard, to which it is currently designed.
Mr. McLean said the wall would be ‘somewhere around 2,000 feet’ long. It will not be continuous, but built in two sections, he said.
‘There’s a gap where the rock is 30 feet high and water won’t get between the two [sections of wall],’ he said.
Once the final design is settled, there will be several steps after notice is given to proceed on the construction management phase, Mr. McLean said.
Approval would have to be obtained from the landowner to clear the property. Approval would also have to be given by the Central Planning Authority to construct the wall, or an executive order could be issued by Cabinet.
A local structural engineering firm would then be selected to act as the construction inspector and supervisor.
The actual construction work of the wall would be put out to tender.
The National Roads Authority would then construct the wall trench, Mr. McLean said.
It is anticipated that the contractor can be selected for the project by November 2007 and that construction would begin in December or January 2008.
‘Potential barriers to getting started are property clearance consent from landowners impacted by the proposed wall,’ Mr. McLean said, adding that the planning approval process and the public tendering process could also impact the timing.
‘The Central Planning Authority will require four weeks of advertisement in the local media and service of notice of the application for planning permission on residents within a 500 foot radius of the [proposed wall].’
A public meeting will be held to present the proposal to Savannah residents, Mr. McLean said.
The flooding problem is not just a Savannah/Newlands problem, but a national one, he added.
‘Every time [the flooding] occurs, it cripples the transportation of people trying to get to and from the eastern districts, and severely restricts the transportation of goods and services to the people living east of Savannah.’
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