Construction of gov’t office complex to begin this year – Min. Edghill

Construction of a high-rise government office which will link several government ministries and agencies is expected to begin in the first quarter of this year.

Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, gave the update at a year-end press conference on Friday last at the ministry’s Wight’s Lane, Kingston, Georgetown office.

“This is a major project. You will have heard us discuss this at Parliament, and provisions have been made. We have actually moved the location to give us a better deal and a better service,” the minister said.

He noted that the building will be constructed about 1 km east of the second roundabout at the new Eccles/Haags Bosch roundabout.

The complex will feature four towers that will have the capacity to hold approximately 6000 staff, built on 20 acres of land. These complexes are intended to increase efficiency by consolidating these government agencies into one location, thereby improving on the delivery of services.

“Rather than people running from different places to get service from an agency, several agencies will be in one complex. So when you drive there and you park and you come out, you could get several services done,” minister Edghill explained.

The sum of $2.6 billion, which was approved in the 2022 budget, was paid to the contractor – Caribbean Green Building Inc – to be used as mobilisation advance for the office towers, as well as to facilitate geotechnical studies and designs.

The minister had said that the public works ministry would be the first to undergo this transformation. The ministry has under its purview, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), the Work Services Group, and the Transport and Harbours Department, among several others.