TOBAGO House of Assembly (THA) Minority Leader Kelvon Morris has raised questions about the assembly’s handling of the Shirvan-Store Bay Local Connector Road project. Morris pointed to allegations of significant cost overruns and procurement irregularities as he spoke during a press conference hosted at his Scarborough office on September 1.

He said the THA’s approach stood in stark contrast to a previous plan to deliver a more robust project at a similar cost, with no burden on Tobago’s budget. The previous PNM-led central government, Morris said, had planned a dual-lane world-class road from Canoe Bay to the airport in Crown Point.

"That plan and that project was estimated to cost you the taxpayer $140 million, but for you Tobagonians and for persons who depend on the THA would hear the THA consistently saying that they are strapped for funds. What was interesting about this project is that this project would have been totally funded by the Central Government so it would have allowed the THA to focus on other development projects.”