Gov’t ends 2025 with nearly $19m in contracts for roads, sewerage

The government closed out 2025 by signing a series of major infrastructure contracts totalling nearly $19 million, including one that leaders described as the largest roadworks deal in Virgin Islands history and another they said will complete East End’s first public sewerage system.

The three contracts, announced on Christmas Eve, cover road rehabilitation from Road Town to West End, sewerage works from Parham Town to Long Swamp, and repairs to the long-troubled Sabbath Hill Road.

Together, they mark one of the most significant single-day infrastructure investment announcements in recent years.

Record contract

The largest of the three agreements is a $14,088,620.02 contract with Tortola Paving Company Limited to rehabilitate nine miles of roadway from the Road Town ferry terminal to the West End ferry terminal.

Premier Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley said the contract, which was signed on Dec. 23, was the biggest contract ever awarded by the Virgin Islands government for road rehabilitation.

“Of course, a lot of persons have been speaking about the state of the roads, but what I know to be a fact is that [Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer] is working very hard,” the premier said in a press release issued after the signing ceremony, to which the media was not invited. “It takes time, it takes money, it takes commitment and determination, and the minister has displayed that — and it revealed itself in this contract signing here today.”

Mr. Wheatley added that the government is aiming for long-term improvements rather than short-term fixes.

“We are looking forward to having improved roads in the territory — one that will last us for the next 30, 40 years, and that we will all be proud of,” he said.

$100m loan

Mr. Rymer said funding for the project is coming from the $100 million loan the government secured last year from CIBC Caribbean bank, noting that $34.8 million of that amount was earmarked for road infrastructure.

“The ministry decided to do the most important roads, including road rehabilitation from West End to Road Town,” Mr. Rymer said, adding that the works will also include kerb walls, revetment and centre lines. “We are hoping to have a modernised road.”

Tortola Paving Company manager Kimberly Ritter said the company is committed to delivering high-quality work but stressed the importance of ongoing maintenance.

“The honourable premier said that he wants these roads to last for 30 to 40 years,” she said in the press release. “As we have done our research, roads rarely last about 20 to 30 years depending on the maintenance of the road. So as we complete our road, I want to encourage you to make sure you keep up on the maintenance as it goes along with what we do.”

The government issued a tender notice for the roadworks last April, but the Ministry of Finance did not respond to the Beacon’s questions about the number of other bidders or the details of their offers.

Officials did not announce a timeline for completion of the project.

East End sewerage

Also last month, a contract valued at $4,152,452.50 was awarded to Biosafe Treatment and Septic Solutions for the installation of a sewerage gravity main line from Parham Town to Long Swamp. The project is expected to be completed within eight months.

The works form part of the long-discussed East End/Long Look sewerage project, which has been promised for decades amid chronic sewage overflows and public health concerns in the area.

Calling the agreement “a major, major contract,” Mr. Wheatley said it will help address longstanding sewerage challenges in his Seventh District.

“Their names will go down in history as it pertains to establishing an efficient, working sewage system in the east, which is something that we have needed for many years,” the premier said in a press release about the signing ceremony, to which the media was not invited. “It is going to help our community be healthier. It is going to help our community be sightlier and sanitary.”

He also noted the conditions faced by schoolchildren in the area.

“We don’t want to see a situation where the girls and boys walking from Willard Wheatley Primary School or Francis Lettsome Primary School have to skip over puddles of sewage water,” he said. “Those days will come to an end.”

‘Half complete’

Mr. Rymer said the contract, which was signed Dec. 9, will complete the East End/Long Look Sewerage Project.

“This has been spoken of for quite some time, and we are about one half complete with the East End/Long Look Sewage Project, and this would be the completion of the other half,” he said, adding that motorists should expect some disruption during construction.

Completed work

The government also told the Beacon last week that the sewerage treatment plant at Paraquita Bay is already connected to a new pump station at Long Swamp.

“The final connection works were completed in September,” government Information Officer Paul Bridgewater stated in response to questions about the project’s progress. “Both the treatment plant at Paraquita Bay and the pump station at Long Swamp are currently ready to receive sewage, as commissioning of these assets are ongoing. Full commissioning is expected by early January.”

The “critical next step” is connecting households and businesses to the sewerage network, government stated, adding that property owners are being encouraged to submit connection applications.

‘The longest time’

During the contract-signing ceremony, Patrick Mitchell of Biosafe Treatment and Septic Solutions said the project is long overdue.

“I worked with the Water and Sewerage Department for 20 years, and I know that we’ve been playing around with this for the longest time,” he said in the press release. “It’s reached a point now where we have to do it.”

Government issued a tender for the project last January, and Mr. Rymer said in government’s Dec. 24 announcement that the Cabinet had awarded the contract on the advice of the Central Tenders Board.

But the Ministry of Finance did not respond to questions about the number of other bidders or the details of their offers.

Sabbath Hill repairs

The third contract, worth $712,649.52, was signed on Dec. 9 with Purcell’s Construction for retaining walls, road pavement and drainage works at Sabbath Hill, where residents have long complained about the road due to deterioration and safety concerns, according to a third press release from the government.

Mr. Rymer described the project as a critical step for the community.

“For the residents in the area, this road has been a challenge and a safety concern for quite some time, and we are pleased to be able to sign this contract today,” he said in the press release. “This is a big step forward for the Sabbath Hill Road community.”

The premier said the agreement reflects a broader push to upgrade infrastructure across the territory.

“As days, weeks, and months and years go by, we are seeing a difference,” he said, adding, “We’ve put out tender after tender, and we have contractors who are serious about getting the job done.”

Purcell’s Construction co-owner Albert Purcell said the company will deliver the works “on budget and on time.”

Government issued a tender for the project last April, but the Ministry of Finance did not respond to the Beacon’s questions about the number of other bidders or the details of their offers. Officials did not announce a timeline for completion.