…sacked contractor says was ordered to reuse dilapidated piles
By Svetlana Marshall
While at face value the rehabilitated carriageway at the Leguan Ferry Stelling may appear safe for use by large trucks it is said to have structural defects and stands the risk of collapsing due to the reuse of decayed timber piles.
This is according to Sattrohan Maraj, the contractor whose company – S. Maraj Contracting Services – is embroiled in a legal battle with the State over the delay in completion of the $413M Leguan Ferry Stelling Rehabilitation Project, which was awarded in September, 2018. During a visit to the Leguan Stelling on Friday, Maraj told reporters that while the concrete component of the project is largely incomplete, almost 95 percent of the timber component is completed, however, there are some safety concerns.
Pointing to a letter he had written the Attorney General Anil Nandlall in February 2021, Maraj said he was ordered by Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill to use a number of old, dilapidated timber piles though being warned that they were not structurally sound.
“I had objected to the reuse of salvage material since most were not structurally sound but Minister [Juan] Edghill refused new replacement. Hence the main carriageway is not structurally sound,” Maraj told the Attorney General, only to be greeted weeks later with a lawsuit.
It was explained that the contracting firm was required to replace 51% of the Greenheart Piles with new Greenheart Piles and reuse 48% of the existing piles.
“Well in excess of 12,890 BM of capping beams and string beams had to be salvaged and reused from the Old Main Carriageway. The structure now has 28.8% salvage materials in its rehabilitated form,” Maraj had explained to the Attorney General. Notably, the timber piles both old and renew are encased with concrete.
Maraj told reporters that when he received the contract in September 2018, the Stelling was in a deplorable state. “All the piles [beneath the main carriageway] were dangling. It was only the beans supporting the Stelling at that time,” he posited.
He said since then, the Transport and Habours Department had been devised to drive new piles as part of the rehabilitative project but this recommendation, he posited felt on deaf ears. As such, he said his company was forced to encase timber piles that are too old to withstand any pressure.
“We had asked them not to keep these piles in the grid because…the lifespan of the piles has already gone but they insisted,” Maraj said.
According to him, he repeated his case to both the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill and the Minister within the Ministry of Public Works but no positive response was given.
“Minister Edghill, Minister Indar came on this site, they went under that Stelling with me and a team; I pointed out to Minister Edghill look at this special pile, let us take out this pile and rive new pile, he said ‘you are going to do this work or you are not going to do this work,” Maraj recalled.
In a letter to extend the life of the project, General Manager of the Transport and Habours Department, Marclene Merchant acknowledged the issues sounding the reuse of the timber piles. “Further the number of timber members were increased due to the fact that the quantity that was estimated to be salvaged and reused suffered from barnacle decay and structural damages during the demolition exercise. So additional timber members, inclusive of permanent timber piles, had to be procured,” the letter dated January 28, 2021 read.
However, weeks later, the Attorney general moved to terminate the contract and has sued the company for millions.
