WESTERN BUREAU – Some of the subcontractors who previously worked on the first phases of the Fording-to-Somerton and the Kent-to-Adelphi main roads in St James will be out of a job when work resumes on the projects.

“There is a possibility we will be using the same main contractor but not necessarily some (sub)contractors,” said state minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works Dr Fenton Ferguson after a recent tour.

“We have had some time lapse and in some instances, speaking for the programme in general, we have had some subcontractors who have not performed either, even as we have had problems with payment. The fact is that we have had some non-performers that we have had to recommend to the main contractors in many instances that they terminate their services.”

The roadwork is part of the $5-billion National Road Improvement Programme (NARIP). Work began about two years ago but cash flow problems caused it to grind to a halt about halfway into the work which was to have been completed last year.

There is still no indication when work will resume on the project. During last week’s tour, Ferguson had promised that by Tuesday he would have supplied Ed Bartlett, the Member of Parliament for the East Central St James constituency in which the project falls, with the resumption date. That promise, Bartlett said, was not kept.

“We spoke on Tuesday but he was still awaiting the report of the technical officers,” Bartlett explained.

During last week’s tour, Ferguson empathised with community members who have to live with the roads that are badly in need of repair.

“Certainly, we know the communities that are affected – especially the Fording-to-Somerton community. Taxi operators. (as well as) the citizens in those communities are very anxious to see a restart.”

He made it clear that Bartlett was doing all he could.

“What I can say (is that) it is not a lack of representation on the part of the member of parliament why these roads are not completed. He has done the best that any member of parliament could do,” the state minister noted.

He promised to work closely with the National Works Agency in an effort to have the project resume as soon as possible.