NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 08, 2021) – – Hon. Spencer Brand, Minister of Public Works and Physical Planning in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), says the recently purchased milling machine is a sound investment and a significant asset to the Public Works Department (PWD).

Minister Brand’s remarks came during a site visit of the road resurfacing work underway on the Island Main Road starting from Horsfords Building Center to the roundabout at Delta Gas Station, on February 08, 2021.

“The general public will recall that last year the Nevis Island Administration purchased a milling machine…I would say it was money well spent,” he said.

The NIA acquired the Wirtgen Cold Milling W150CF milling machine for US$515,000.

The Public Works Minister explained that because the machine digs up the old asphalt, mills or grinds it up, and that material can be re-used, it will save the government a considerable amount of money. He added that the machine cuts back on the time it takes the road crew to carry out their work.

“The good thing about this machine is it will allow the Nevis Island Administration and Public Works

Department to recycle this material.

“I recognized that every piece of work we had to do over we had to use all new materials, and I felt that this machine would help us to mill this material, send it back to the asphalt plant, recycle it and use it again. The idea [too] is that this milling machine would help us to speed up the process of our road maintenance program.

“So it would be saving the taxpayers of Nevis significant sums of money throughout the years, and it would also help us with the expeditious process of our road maintenance program,” he said.

The Minister said that since the machine was purchased in the fourth quarter of 2020, PWD staff had undergone virtual training on its operation. A representative from the company that supplied the piece of heavy equipment was on hand Monday (February 8) to provide in-person training.

Mr. Jevon Williams, Director of the Public Works Department spoke to the nature of the training presently underway.

“What we are seeing here is the culmination of a live training exercise that has been going on for the past week with a representative from the supplier of the milling machine.

“As part of this training we thought it was important to do an actual on-the-ground project to culminate the training.

“This section of the Island Main Road is a section that has plagued us over an extended period of time. It has reached to a point where the life of the asphalt has almost been extinguished and we thought it was a good idea to use this section of road as top priority for the first major project of the milling machine,” he said.

The PWD Director called on road users to cooperate with the Department and adhere to the traffic guidelines as it pertains to the re-routing of traffic in the area for the duration of the project.

The resurfacing of the Island Main Road from Horsfords Building Center to the Rams Shopping Complex, and Pump Road from the Roundabout to Club Trenim, will be undertaken in two phases over a two week period ending February 19, 2021.