Are SVG government ministers becoming rich from road construction and repairs?

Recently, I was exposed to some very interesting information that made me say, “What the hell.” As a result I took the opportunity to conduct more in-depth research for myself on the science of road construction. With my newly accumulated knowledge on the science of road construction, I can see how certain ministers in the St Vincent and the Grenadines have been and are currently enriching themselves, with the apparent harmless function of: road construction and road repair. 


We all know that Franko Construction Company is owned by and operated by some very close relative of minister of works Julian Francis, his cousin Ralph Gonsalves, the current prime minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Ralph Gonsalves’ son Camillo Gonsalves. And approximately 90 percent of the road works (construction and repairs) are awarded to Franko Construction Company. Is this an act of nepotism or coincidence? You be the judge.

I cannot say with any degree of certainty if this construction company has any engineers and designers in its employment who were technically trained in road design, reinforcement and road construction; however, from what I have been seeing it does not appear so. 

Now St Vincent and the Grenadines has a planning division and within that planning division there are engineers, but why these technocrats within the planning department are not allowed to become involved in the planning of the general design, structural designs and the general implementation and completion of these projects is beyond anyone’s understanding. The minister has the authority to forgo all of the planning prerequisites and involvement (inspections, etc.) in any project, government or private, and very often the planning department is left out.

Since I was a child, there was a strip of road on Back Street, in the vicinity of North River Road and Melville Street/Paul’s Avenue. This thoroughfare was still intact when I became a teenager except for some patches that were the result of excavation done by the Central Sewage and Water Authority, and Cable and Wireless to a lesser extent. 

Apart from these new patches of asphalt that covered the excavated area that was made by the utility companies, the original road was still intact and some areas facilitated some of the better part of our roller-skating exploit as teenagers. 

The findings of my research

After I was exposed to the information about the science of road construction, I reverted to the road on Back Street, and the general way out of Kingstown and the villages that made up Kingstown, with their deep gutters and inverted culverts, etc. and it all began to make sense. 

It was then I began to understand a lot of things that I will explain later and, with that frame of mind, I came to the conclusion that what the Ralph E. Gonsalves government is paying top dollar for in the name of road construction is nothing but a dishonest scheme in the name of road building. I will also go into this in more detail later down in this discourse. 

I have come to understand that, in the science of road construction, there are four main types of thoroughfare: 

1. Residential streets, 
2. City streets, 
3. Boulevards, and 
4. Highways.

In a large country there are highways that connect states; these highways are referred to as interstate highways or interstates. It is important to note that each class of thoroughfare has specific minimum construction dimensions that must be met; and the size and layout standards and the quality of the material must be consistent for the specific function and use of the thoroughfare or road. 

There are five characteristics that must be present in the construction of a road or a thoroughfare, and those are as follows:

1. Ground soil density
2. Gravel aggregate compaction density
3. Retaining walls construction
4. Gutters construction
5. Road surface thickness and density

Ground soil Density: it is important that the ground soil be compacted to a required density in pounds per square inch (PSI) in accordance to the type of road and expected usage. This is vitally important to ensure there is no undesired movement of the ground soil from the expected usage of the road. Such movement may lead to crocking, warping, sinking, breaking and slippage of the road, which may result when the ground soil become compact by every day usage of the road or when the ground soil becomes saturated with water and the air pockets that remain from improper ground soil compaction or soil density caves in or becomes compacted. 

Gravel or aggregate: Must be compacted also to facilitate the laying of down of the concrete or asphalt surface. The layer of aggregate is a buffer and reinforcement for the road; this layer of aggregate lends some flexibility to the road surface. It helps the road to withstand earth movement without compromising the integrity, the structure or the safety of the road.

Retaining Walls: Every new road construction begins with the laying out and the grading (leveling) of the designated strip of land. After the road has been laid out then the process of putting in retaining walls must be next. In road construction the retaining walls is paramount, in that they have several extremely important functions; a few of the main functions are to:

a. To reduce and/or prevent land slippage of any kind in the vicinity of the road that may thus compromise the integrity, the structure or the safety of the said road. 

b. To facilitate and maintain the correct density of the ground soil, aggregate, the mix that makes up the road surface and gutters. The casing, which the retaining walls provides, make it easier for the desired compaction density of the ground soil and the gravel to be achieved; thus providing the ideal surface to lay down the asphalt mixture or the concrete mixture. 

c. To facilitate the safe disposal of surface water from the road without endangering the integrity of the road.

Gutters: Every road must have gutters that are compatible with the level of rainfall and the expected level of water runoff that may occur in the vicinity. As useful and as harmless water appears, it can be a very destructive force if it is not properly controlled and channeled. 

Road surface density and thickness: Another important feature in road construction is the thickness and the density or PSI of the road surface. This is important because the density of the concrete or the asphalt will determine the weight of the vehicles that will be allowed to travel on that road. As a matter of fact, the designation of the road will be determined by the layout of the road, the density of the compacted ground soil, the quality and the grade of the aggregate and the thickness of the aggregate bed, and the thickness and the density of the material that makes up the road surface. 

For example, a residential street, must have poured concrete or asphalt that is at least three inches thick, with a PSI density to withstand an average distribution weight of 3,000 pounds per wheel; while a city street must have a surface that is no less than nine inches with a PSI density to withstand an average distribution weight of at least 9,000 pounds per wheel. A boulevard should have a surface of at least 12 inches thick, with a PSI density to withstand an average distribution weight of at least 12,000 pounds per wheel. 

Just some added information, a highway must be at least two feet thick, with a PSI density to withstand any known vehicle and the landing of the biggest airliner. In the USA all highway are considered emergency landing strips for any airliner that is experiencing distress and needs to do an emergency landing. 

What this information has revealed to me is that road construction is a science, and a road must be constructed based on the weight, the frequency and the volume of vehicles that are expected to use these roads. 

Unfortunately, in St Vincent and the Grenadines, road construction is a simpler process, that entails just clearing, leveling and putting an asphalt covering on the surface soil with a sheeting of aggregate and then covering it with asphalt. Ironically, these roads are expected to accommodate vehicles of all classes, weight and size. 

Another thing to note is, while the science that is used in road construction in St Vincent and the Grenadines becomes less and less scientific, logical and practical, the cost of roads has increased to meet international standards and the roads fall apart in less than a year. Case in point, take a look at the new Argyle bypass road. This road fell apart twice in one year. 

So the question we must ask is where the monies are going. I have a sneaking suspicion that there is a high degree of corruption and monies are passed under the table
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