NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 06, 2020) — The recent procurement of a milling machine will improve the Public Works Department’s (PWD) ability to repair and rehabilitate the road system around Nevis, says Hon. Spencer Brand, Minister of Public Works and Physical Planning in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).
During a presentation in the Nevis Island Assembly on November 05, 2020 Mr. Brand spoke to the need for the US$515,000.00 machine at the Public Works Department.
“I recognize that there has been a significant demand and that demand continues to grow exponentially as it regards the development of road infrastructure on the island of Nevis. We have purchased this piece of machinery that we feel will help the road crew at the Public Works Department meet the demands of the island of Nevis.
“We recognize that throughout the length and breadth of Nevis, on the Island Main Road and in the secondary village roads, that there has been some deterioration of those roads, while there continues to be a demand for improved roads in the various villages.
“I know there’s a lot of work for that piece of machinery to do…We continue to see the need for improvement in the road structure and we are hoping that we will be able to meet those demands,” he said.
The compact multifaceted machine removes up to 12 inches of asphalt from a road surface, crushes it into a fine aggregate which is transported via its conveyor belt to a truck. The aggregate is then stored and reused to repair smaller feeder roads.
Mr. Brand informed that there was some virtual training for persons manning the new equipment from the supplier of the Wirtgen Cold Milling W150CF in the month of October, however, the department is awaiting the arrival of technical persons to conduct final training and commissioning of the machine.
On November 06, 2020, Mr. Brand told the Department of Information that in the meantime, limited table-top training and some additional on-site training in Prospect has been done.