ABACO, The Bahamas – The Government’s Infrastructure crusade continued in Marsh Harbour, Abaco with the award of three contracts totaling $3.5 million for the upgrade of physical infrastructure on this northern island.

Public Works and Transport Minister the Hon. Neko C. Grant headed a delegation to the island during a weekend visit. Along with him was Colin Higgs, permanent secretary; John Canton, director; Livingston Forbes, chief architect and Shaun Lightbourne, engineer. A small audience was present to participate in the ceremony held at the conference room of the Department of Education.

The Hon. Edison Key, Member of Parliament for South Abaco, Lenora Black, District Superintendent, Local Government representatives and John Schaefer, area engineer were among those in attendance. A contract for $965,818,95 was awarded to Knowles Construction and Development Company Ltd. for construction of a Great Abaco Highway Bypass Road in Central Abaco.“The new Great Abaco Highway Bypass Road will provide access to the new Government Administration Complex,” said Mr. Grant. “This new by-pass road will stretch from Marsh Harbour Airport round-a-bout to the new Government Administration Complex. Construction of the new Government Administration Complex is progressing well and should be completed by the end of this year.

The road works comprise application of a layer of 1.5” thick asphalt on round-a-bouts and on the new access road. The contract also includes installation of a water main from SC Bootle Highway to the new Government Administration Complex and the installation of laterals to provide access to water. Having submitted the lowest qualifying tender, Knowles Development Co. Ltd. was selected from a group of six contractors and received the award of a $1,894,222.70 for the resurfacing of the runway and apron at Treasure Cay Airport.

“We are also pleased to execute works at Treasure Cay Airport – a facility that provides a vital link between Abaco and other places for many residents and visitors,” Mr. Grant said. “There is evidence of significant deterioration of the existing runway surface at Treasure Cay Airport bearing in mind that more than 20 years have elapsed since this airport was constructed.”

The project will include repaving the runway with a 1.5” thick layer of asphalt along with patching and paving of the parking apron. John Williams Construction Company received a $630,200 contract for the construction of a sidewalk along the south side of Forest Drive (from Forest-Crockett round-a-bout to Murphy Town).

“Forest Drive is described as one of the most traversed roads in the Central Abaco area,” Mr. Grant said. “It provides access to two of Abaco’s largest schools (Central Abaco Primary and Central Abaco High Schools). There is therefore significant use of this road by pedestrians (particularly school children) in addition to vehicular traffic. An invitation for tenders for this project to construct a sidewalk was therefore published to address public safety concerns.”

Mr. Grant emphasized to the contractors the need for “on time completion and quality work that is within budget”. He thanked the technical staff of the Ministry of Works for their contributions to the projects.

Photo 1: The Hon. Neko Grant, Minister of Public Works and Transport (third from left) presents a contract to Emile Knowles, president of Knowles Construction and Development Company Ltd. for various infrastructure works including the resurfacing of the runway and taxiway at the Treasure Cay Airport and construction of the Great Central Abaco Bypass Road. Also shown in front row from left are Shaun Lightbourne, engineer; the Hon. Edison Key, MP for South Abaco and Octavia Dean-McIntosh special guest. Shown in back row from left is John Canton, director and Colin Higgs, permanent secretary. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)

Photo 2: Public Works and Transport Minister the Hon. Neko Grant is pictured at right signing a contract with Emile Knowles, (left) president of Knowles Construction and Development Company Ltd. for the construction of the Great Central Abaco Bypass Road and the resurfacing of Treasure Cay Airport runway, taxiway and parking apron. The Hon. Edison Key, MP for South Abaco is shown in the centre. (BIS photo/Kristaan Ingraham)