Dominica: $8M Chatwell Feeder road completes, easing market connectivity for farmers

The construction of the Chatwell Feeder road has been completed after 2 years. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit while sharing the photos on social media added that the project costing EC$8 million connects Bellevue Chopin and Pichelin in the southern part of the island-nation.

He further stated that the road also improve connectivity with farm holdings. Notably the Chatwell Feeder road serves as a key path for farmers,  and will enhance their connectivity with markets.

The new road will not only reduce the travel time, but it will also reduce the transit damage to fresh produce.

Carleen Roberts, national authorizing officer (NAO) for the European Development Fund in Dominica said that as part of the rehabilitation, the road has also been expanded.

She said the work related to the project will not only improve agricultural production but also create fresh opportunities in the tourism sector. Roberts also noted that work on the Grand Bray Road, which will be an alternative access for residents from the south of the island, will begin soon.

Notably, by October 2024 the 95 percent work on the road pavement measuring 3,175 metres was completed. All but one of the six retaining walls were constructed while six out of eight culverts were in place. The single-cell culvert crossing was also made successfully.

The NAO’s office also gave updates on additional infrastructure related to the Chatwell Feeder Road, including earthen drains to improve the flow of water and reduce erosion, and water-supply pipes. It also said the road’s strategic pavement would help in mitigating traffic problems and do away with the need for cutting the pavement in future for repair work.

The contract for the road was inked in 2023 and rehabilitation work began soon after. The project was divided into two parts – demolition and clearance, excavation and realignment and pavement; and construction of retaining walls.

Not just a feeder road, said public works minister

The Dominican government officially broke ground for the project in August 2023 in the presence of PM Skerrit and Public Works Minister Fidel Grant.

The latter said on the occasion that the feeder road will make access to several farms easy and ensure a robust transportation network and boost to the country’s agricultural sector. He cited reduction in travel time, wear and tear on farmers’ vehicles and in-transit damage to fresh agricultural produce as some of the advantages of the road project.

Grant also said then that Chatwell Feeder Road was not just a feeder road but a road to creating sustainable employment for Dominica’s youth.

The road is also expected to serve as a key bypass during construction on other rehabilitation projects that are currently underway in Dominica, such as the Loubiere-Bagatelle rehabilitation project.

The minister also said in August 2023 that two contracts were awarded for rehabilitating the feeder road. The first phase was scheduled to see the rehabilitation of 1.1 kilometres. In the second phase, rehabilitation was planned for a stretch of 2.17 kilometres.

The government of Dominica has invested more than EC$20 million for rehabilitation of eight feeder roads to improve the agricultural sector and create economic opportunities.