By FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

The Davis administration is investing $2.6m in a pilot project for Pinewood Gardens that it hopes will finally provide a long-term solution to decades of chronic flooding, with four lift stations designed to pump stormwater underground instead of relying solely on traditional drainage.

Clay Sweeting, minister of works and Family Island affairs, said the initiative marks a shift in how the Government approaches flooding in vulnerable communities, arguing that traditional drainage systems are no longer sufficient to handle increasingly intense rainfall events.

Speaking at the Office of the Prime Minister's weekly press briefing, Mr Sweeting said the project will install four lift stations at Sapodilla Street, Bay Geranium Avenue, Pigeon Plum Street between Saffron and Croton streets, and Jones Heights off East Street South.

"We're not simply here to make an announcement about the Pinewood Gardens lift station as another infrastructure project," said Mr Sweeting 

"We're here to address a problem that has affected families for decades, and to inform you of our engineers' belief that this is the most appropriate and effective solution based on extensive technical studies and environmental assessments."

Mr Sweeting said the stations will automatically pump excess stormwater into deep disposal wells when water reaches a certain level, reducing standing water, improving road safety and better protecting homes and businesses.

"This project represents one of the most innovative flood mitigation initiatives ever undertaken by the Ministry of Works," he said. "The lift stations have already been ordered and are currently being manufactured to be shipped to The Bahamas within the next three to four weeks."

He added that piping for the project is expected to arrive within the same timeframe, allowing construction to begin. The ministry is targeting a 12-month construction period once work commences.

Mr Sweeting said the pilot project was selected following flood zone identification and water cluster analysis conducted across New Providence, and could eventually be expanded to other flood-prone communities.

"A multi-faceted approach is also being utilised in Coral Harbour, where we will be utilising the stations as well," he said.

The announcement came as Ministry of Works officials also outlined ongoing road paving and maintenance works throughout New Providence.

Robert Mouzas, director of works, said the Ministry's road programme will continue through the remainder of this year and into 2027, with Shirley Street among the priority projects once utility co-ordination with the Water & Sewerage Corporation is completed.

He said recent paving has been completed on roads including Sea Link Drive, Buttonwood Street, Yamacraw Beach Drive, Western Road and Joe Farrington Road.

The ministry also used the briefing to highlight its broader digital transformation, including a new online Citizen Service Hub that will allow residents to report potholes, drainage issues and flooding directly from their mobile phones.

Lakindes Brown, head of the ministry's digitisation unit, said residents will be able to upload photographs of damaged roads or flooding, while GIS mapping technology will pinpoint the exact location so repair crews can respond more efficiently.

She added that the ministry is also introducing a "FlowSense" smart drainage monitoring system that will use real-time data to identify flood risks before they become emergencies, while modernising building permits, inspections and other public services through a single online platform.

Ms Brown said the digitisation initiative is intended to create "a ministry that is faster, smarter, more transparent and built around the people it serves”.