Road Transportation Master Plan for Basseterre

The city of Basseterre, with a population of over 15,000, is the capital of St Kitts and Nevis and home to half the island’s population. It is a small, old colonial town wedged between the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport to the north and a harbour to the south. Dannion, in collaboration with Halcrow, undertook the transportation study and masterplan with the objective to reduce the growing congestion experienced in this small capital city, especially during peak hours. This first phase of the project involved the feasibility study and options development for improvement to the road network and transportation around the city,

Dannion, in contributing to the study, provided expertise and services in traffic analysis and transportation engineering to provide solution options to the traffic congestion in the city. Dannion conducted detailed traffic counts and roadside interview surveys to establish existing traffic flows and characteristics in and around Basseterre. Route alignments for the by pass options were established with an environmental impact statement for each option. The by-pass options varied in length from 4km to 5km. Preliminary cost estimates for cost benefit analysis were determined. The HDM IV model was used to determine the viability of the selected route options and hence a preferred option. The preferred option was established in consultation with the Government of St Kitts, the Caribbean Development Bank and interested stakeholders. This preferred option was then designed in detail and tender documents produced.

In addition to the by-pass, recommendations were made as to other measures that can be
developed to reduce the congestion within the central business district of the City.

This study lead to the construction of the new by pass road just south of the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport, constructed under the West Basseterre By-pass Road Project.