Mauritius: The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, inaugurated yesterday the newly reconstructed 1.4 km B104 Road linking Chamarel to Case Noyale. The Road will provide a major connection between the western coast and the central plateau of Mauritius, thereby facilitating access to residents, commuters and visitors.
The Minister of Land Transport and Light Rail, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, Mr Alan Ganoo, the Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram, Members of Parliament and other personalities were present.
In a statement, Prime Minister Jugnauth highlighted that the Chamarel-Case Noyale B104 Road reconstruction project forms part of the Government’s vision to restructure the traffic network in the country.
He stated that the Road was closed for one year and that the local residents had to encounter many difficulties in travelling. He expressed his appreciation to the inhabitants for their patience and understanding during that period.
The Prime Minister indicated that part of the Road between Chamarel and Case Noyale, with a steep mountain on one side and deep ravines on the other and the underlying geotechnical support, had severely deteriorated over a length of approximately 1.4 kilometres.
The Road has served commuters for over 200 years, and it was high time to rebuild the Road to ensure the safety and security of travellers, he pointed out.
Speaking on road decongestion, he underlined that earlier during the day, the project for the construction of a grade-separated Junction at Wooton was inaugurated. Several other projects are underway to address traffic issues and ease access and flow of vehicles across the country, he underscored.
Mr Jugnauth further dwelt on the measures undertaken by Government to support the tourism sector. “The industry is doing well and is not far from reaching its target of one million tourists for this year,” he said.
Nevertheless, he stressed that the sector needs to be sustainable and profitable in the coming years. The manufacturing sector as well deeply impacted and is now getting back on track, he added.
As regards the price of petrol, Prime Minister Jugnauth stressed that Government is closely monitoring the price on the international market and that the price will be reviewed as and when necessary.
Prime Minister Jugnauth also enumerated several measures to help vulnerable families in the face of high inflation. They include the construction of 12 000 houses; subsidies on rice, flour, oil, milk and other basic commodities. The Prime Minister is hopeful that the Mauritian economy will stabilise and flourish in the days to come.
The B104 Road project, to the tune of Rs 367 million, comprise:
- Construction and widening of the existing Road over some 1.4 kilometres, including a 7.0 meters wide carriageway and a two-metre-wide paved shoulder on one side in flexible pavement with a crushed stone sub base with bituminous base course and bituminous concrete wearing course with a road reserve;
- Excavation in mountain slopes using specialised blasting techniques; construction of gabion retaining structures; installation of rock nets, soil and rock nailing;
- And hydroseeding. It also includes the construction of drainage structures;
- Provision of miscellaneous road equipment;
- Installation and commissioning of solar street lighting poles as well as luminaires;
- And construction of two viewpoints.
