St. Johns, Antigua and Barbuda: The Government of Antigua and Barbuda National Street Lighting Project now underway to upgrade the existing street lighting infrastructure in the twin island state will turn its focus on Friars Hill Road.

The street lighting project engineers have said that work in Lot 1 (phase one) on Sir George Walter Highway progressed according to schedule and attention will now be placed on Lot 2 (Phase two) for the construction of concrete bases on Friars Hill Road.

Lot 2 of the project is earmarked to run for a minimum of six weeks and will affect the flow of traffic on a section of Friars Hill Road between the Village Walk Shopping Centre and Jasmine Court Shopping Mall and continue along the stretch of the highway.

A total of seventy-five (75) concrete bases will be constructed along the edges of the highway. EdCon, has been awarded the contract for the Lot 2 works.

Technical support is being provided by the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) Electricity Business Unit. The Project Implementation Management Unit (PIMU) is responsible for day-to-day oversight.

The rehabilitation work forms part of the government’s plan to modernize the lighting infrastructure as part of national road safety efforts.

The long-term strategy of the national street lighting project is to optimize street lights, improve road safety efforts and ensure acceptable lighting for road users while at the same time, reducing energy consumption and the carbon footprint in the twin island state.

The life of the new light sources is approximately twenty years. However, there will be periodic upgrades and maintenance work as technology advances. -END-