Soufriere, Saint Lucia March 14th, 2025– The Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Millennium Highway and West Coast Road Reconstruction Project (MHWCRP) hosted a public meeting in Soufriere yesterday, bringing together local residents, transportation providers, and representatives from NAMALCO Construction Services Limited to provide updates on construction progress and address community feedback regarding the works, which extend from Cul de Sac to the Soufriere Bridge.
The forum enabled direct, transparent dialogue with affected community members, including residents, business owners, and public transportation operators, particularly members of the Soufriere Mini-bus Association, acknowledging the real challenges they’ve faced during construction.
Participants shared concerns about daily travel and quality of life impacts, including road hazards, dust control issues, inadequate traffic management at some construction sites, and potential further disruptions during the upcoming rainy season. Representatives from NAMALCO acknowledged these concerns and outlined specific measures being implemented to address them. The contractor has committed to an April deadline to complete paving works along the Canaries Road. The contractor has committed to completing paving works along the Canaries Road by April. At the same time, it will focus on completing outstanding concrete works at multiple locations along the Cul de Sac to Anse La Raye route. Moving forward, as part of its revised methodology, the contractor will scarify shorter sections of the road into more manageable segments before progressing to new areas.
Despite their concerns, many participants expressed appreciation for the face-to-face forum, applauding NAMALCO for “facing the people” directly. Several residents acknowledged the visible progress made in the last six weeks after periods of relative inactivity, noting that such direct engagement helps rebuild community trust in the project.
“Despite the challenges, we’ve seen meaningful progress over the past six weeks,” noted Mr. Amos Hippolyte, Project Coordinator at the MHWCRR Project Management Unit. “NAMALCO has successfully completed asphalt surfacing on approximately 7.0 kilometers of road between Cul de Sac and Anse La Raye, and we’ve seen a resumption of concrete works at Cul de Sac.”
According to Mr. Hippolyte, the PMU will continue to monitor the situation closely and maintain open communication channels with all stakeholders as the project progresses.
This meeting is part of the MHWCRP’s commitment to transparent communication and stakeholder engagement throughout the reconstruction project, which aims to improve road safety, efficiency, and climate resilience along this critical transportation corridor.
The PMU reminds all stakeholders that the project maintains an active Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) where specific concerns can be lodged. Community members can submit feedback or concerns via phone/WhatsApp to the Community Liaison Officer at 1-758-714-7931, by email to tara.leonard@govt.lc, through social media, or via drop boxes at local Post Offices and Fisheries offices. All grievances are processed within established timeframes to ensure timely resolution of issues affecting residents and road users
About The Project
The Millennium Highway and West Coast Road Reconstruction Project is implemented by the Government of Saint Lucia through the Department of Infrastructure, Ports and Transport, and benefits from United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF) grant funding. UKCIF is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and administered by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The MHWCRRP is co-financing by the Government of Saint Lucia.