Nicholas says waiver of tender will allow quick fix of boardwalk, while contractor says situation looks ‘fishy’

The Government will be seeking to replace the boardwalk in the Redcliffe Quay area, since it has been deemed unsafe by the Development Control Authority (DCA).  However, not everyone is convinced.

Replacement of the bridge will cost more than $200,000 if done by a private contractor, the Cabinet says.

The amount requires tendering, but Information Minister Melford Nicholas says it is possible to speed up the process by seeking a waiver from the Tenders Board, and this will be done.

A contractor tells REAL News that he finds the project “fishy” and that the need for repairing the boardwalk has come at a very “convenient” time.  “Just as the election machinery is cranking up,” he notes.

He says it will be interesting to see exactly who gets the job, given that “control” of the DCA and the Tenders Board “rests with the same two people.”

Further, the man asks, “How is it that, all these months when there was no activity at the cruise port, they did not look to fix the boardwalk?” he asks.  “What happened: Election wasn’t close enough yet?”

Meanwhile, Nicholas notes that traveling from the cruise vessels on foot will be addressed in such a way that visitors do not put themselves in danger.

Walking through an active parking lot is considered unsafe, he says; hence, the boardwalk allows cruise passengers wanting to go through St. John’s to travel over the edge of the sea.

The bridge is expected to be fixed quickly, so that all shops within the two areas – Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay – will get an opportunity to attract tourists.