By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

MANGROVE Cay, Andros, is set for a major infrastructure overhaul after the government signed a $22.7 million public-private partnership to modernise the island’s water and road systems over the next 18 months.

The agreement, signed yesterday at the Ministry of Works in Nassau, awards Bakerwick Construction Company Limited a $5.5m contract for waterworks and Ambi’s Patching & Maintenance a $17.2m contract for roadworks. The upgrades will replace ageing galvanised and PVC pipes, install new water mains, and pave roughly 17 miles of road from Moxey Town to Lisbon Creek.

Officials said the project will completely modernise Mangrove Cay’s water network, with 46,000 feet of new four-inch mains, 13,600 feet of two-inch mains, and fresh service connections to 350 homes and businesses, benefitting more than 1,000 residents.

Minister of State Leon Lundy, who holds responsibility for the Water & Sewerage Corporation (WSC) and represents Mangrove Cay, Central & South Andros, said the signing represented more than a contract — it marked “a milestone in the story of Mangrove Cay.”

“For years, families across the island have lived with low water pressure and, at times, no water at all,” Mr Lundy said.

“Those frustrations were real, and they were felt deeply. Today we turn that shared struggle into shared success.”

He described the project as “a complete renewal of our island’s water system,” calling the investment an act of “public health, community resilience and national development.”

The works form part of a wider Family Island renewal initiative across Andros, including a $1.04m project earlier this year to link Kemps Bay’s reverse osmosis plant to well fields in The Bluff.

Bakerwick Construction president Marlon Bostwick thanked the government for its confidence, saying his company was proud to play a role in helping to improve lives.

“Our team is prepared, our timelines are clear, and we are fully committed to working hand in hand with the ministry, the Water and Sewage Corporation and the residents of Mangrove Cay to complete this project on time and to specification,” he said.

Mr Bostwick added that the contract was “a proud moment for Bakerwick Construction” and an opportunity “to help write a new chapter for this community.”

Ambi’s Patching & Maintenance president Brian Armbrister said the project was “more than a year and a half in the making,” crediting perseverance for seeing it through.

WSC general manager Robert Deal said the island will finally receive “strong pressure, clean water and consistent service from end to end,” calling reliable water and durable roads “the twin lifelines of development.”

Officials said mobilisation will begin once Ministry of Finance processing is complete, with work expected to ramp up in the coming months before the full 18-month construction period begins.