The Government of Antigua and Barbuda is now at the phase of wrapping up works to fully rehabilitate two of the island’s major corridors.
Friars Hill Road and Sir George Walter Highway connect the island’s main port of entry, the VC Bird International Airport, to the capital of St. John’s and both have been widened and upgraded significantly. They are now completely resurfaced and have new features including roundabouts and state of the art road markings to facilitate multi-lane traffic.
The twin island state was the beneficiary of grant funding in the amount of 13.9 million pounds sterling from the Government of Britain’s United Kingdom Infrastructure Partnership Fund (UKCIF). The funds are being channeled through the Caribbean Development Bank with oversight being from the Foreign Commonwealth Office. The Government has invested an additional twelve (12) million US dollars into the national infrastructure project.
This historic initiative would not have been a success story without what the project team describes as a far-reaching, socially inclusive consultative process that took constructive feedback from stakeholders across the nation.
Community Liaison Officer, Anne Harewood George, has been the link between the project Implementation Management Unit (PIMU) and the stakeholders who include property owners, residents and roadside vendors along both corridors. She describes the stakeholder engagement process as being holistic and emphasizes that members of the public have been providing the team with constructive feedback through a series of interactive community consultations.
“Working closely with both internal and external stakeholders throughout project implementation has been a challenging yet rewarding experience. Community relations are about building partnerships and fostering empowerment so we have always strived to employ an approach that pays close attention to gender equality and social inclusion. Consequently, we have conducted Focus Groups with members of the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Persons with Disabilities and consulted with other vulnerable groups in an effort to ensure that all voices are being heard and responded to,” Mrs. Harewood George said.
The emergence of Covid-19 has brought about a change with respect to face-to-face consultations, hence the community relations team has modified its outreach strategy which includes a grievance mechanism that enables members of the public to lodge complaints. The project management team has drastically changed how it operates as a result of covid-19 and there is currently a reliance on technology and a willingness to be more innovative.
Among the lessons learnt is the fact that all stakeholders are equally important, continuous community feedback is critical during project implementation and people must feel empowered to participate before, after and during the process.
The Community Liaison Officer has said that no effort was spared in ensuring that the project is socially inclusive. Throughout the project’s implementation, special consultations were held with stakeholders such as the Antigua and Barbuda Port Authority and truckers in reference to roundabouts in an effort to make certain that trucks with and without loads would have safe access. A recent simulation exercise that tested the navigation of the design vehicle which is a 40 foot tailor truck was carried out with success.
The PIMU’s official grievance mechanism policy has proven effective and stakeholders can file a complaint at 562-9174 0r 562-9176 or email [email protected].
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An historic debacle for sure.
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