B.W.S. digs deep hole in Albert Street
The paving of Albert and Regent Streets appeared to take forever and it is now less than a month since its completion. But today if you drove downtown in Belize City you would have been shocked to see a deep man sized crater near Delta Store at the end of Albert Street. News Five’s Jose Sanchez reports on the unending woes of the street.
Jose Sanchez, Reporting
On December nineteenth, 2008 the paving of Albert and Regent Streets finally begun with the gushing of tar. Minister of Works Boots Martinez was quite satisfied.
Minister of Works Anthony “Boots” Martinez (19 Dec, 2008)
“Well for me I’m personally elated but also too I think this is a good way forward for the country of Belize, for the citizens of the city and it’s a good move for tourism.”
On that day of the “hot mix”, Telemedia’s Tux Vasquez was concerned because BTL has one hundred and eighty-four four manholes between Albert and Regent Street which were not ready to be covered by tar.
Arturo “Tux” Vasquez, Gen. Mgr. Service Delivery, Telemedia
“The problem that I’m hoping that we won’t have is to get a public slack in the sense that later on when you see B.T.L. coming back, breaking up the streets breaking up the street to open up these manholes again, it’s not really because it is not our plan. We were really on schedule with our plan. But I was speaking to the minister just now and he has agreed that we will work together whereby he will have the people who are actually doing the roads, that they will have the access to the manholes for us and then we will in turn raise them or lower them, depending on what is needed.”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“We are the experts. We designed the project, we know how to get in, how to get out. We have arranged that with Mr. Vasquez, Mr. Tux Vasquez of B.T.L., we also have the issue with B.W.S. We make provisions that they can get in and out without damaging the street.”
Larry Flowers, Contractor, Rodla Construction
“We expect that with this type of pavement, we should get at least five to eight years of pavement life.”
The entire Albert to Regent Street loop was not completed until January of 2009. And today January twenty-first, less than a month later, there are problems.
Jose Sanchez
“Albert Street should have been paved for the next ten years, but the dream of the hot mix has come to an end as this piece of asphalt in my hand can show. Infrastructural problems of the Belize Water Services have resulted in the street being dug up this morning.”
Dave Pascasio, Operations Manager, B.W.S.
“Well on Monday the nineteenth we received a call that there was water on Albert Street and we came out and we ascertained that it was one of our infrastructure leaking. We liaised with City Council, Ministry of Works and the contractor. We got on site yesterday and we determined that we have to dig down to find out what is leaking and subsequently repair it.”
Jose Sanchez
“Exactly what process did you take?”
Dave Pascasio
“What happened, when we installed the infrastructure in Albert Street, we pressure tested all the infrastructure; meaning all the new pipes and we even tested the workmanship. It’s unfortunate that after two months this has happened.”
Jose Sanchez
“Is this something that could have been avoided?”
Dave Pascasio
“We will determine if it’s failure of the infrastructure itself or faulty workmanship. I don’t think it was the workmanship because it would have shown in the initial testing.”
Jose Sanchez
“This is a multimillion dollar project, who is going to maintain and fix this large hole that has been created?”
Dave Pascasio
“Well, it’s B.W.S. It’s a requirement that whatever we damage in any municipality we fix back.”
Rodla construction will repair the damage on the behalf of B.W.S. Since the Belize City Council has to maintain the street, perhaps the council can raise funds for maintenance by selling inch and a half thick pieces of asphalt from the multimillion dollar project. Reporting for News Five, Jose Sanchez.
