The Ministry of Public Works refers to its May 8, 2024 notice sent to Western Cluster Limited wherein it suspended the Road User Permit of the company against flagrant violations of the terms of the Permit as well as the Mineral Development Agreement (MDA), giving a sixty-day compliance ultimatum or Western Cluster could risk termination of its RUP.

Following rigorous negotiations spanning over 21 days, the Ministry of Public Works wishes to inform the public that Western Cluster Limited has agreed to conform to the terms of the RUP as well as the MDA predicated on these conditions:

1. To widen the road by five (5) meters of which 2.5 meters will affect both sides of the road. 
2. That the allowable gross load should not exceed forty-five (45) tons per truck (including 30 tons payload and 15 tons for empty weight of truck) and total number of trucks should not exceed 125, and that each should make a maximum of two trips per day, which is equivalent to 250 trips per day; and with a payload of 30 tons, the total number of weights per day must not exceed 7,500 per month amounting to 2.7 mega metric tons per annum. The haulage time remains the same, 7pm-6am.
3. Install a weighing bridge before PO River at a point to be agreed upon between the Ministry and Western Cluster Limited 
4. That in order to use the riailway bridge parallel to the St. Paul Bridge, the following must be considered:
   -That the maximum load to be carried on the bridge is 48 tons when the bridge is fully maintained 
   -Conduct steel and concrete tests on various components of the bridge 
   -Fully rehabilitate & maintaine the bridge 
   -Conduct underwater investigation every six months to confirm the integrity of the structure 
   -All steel members must be sandblasted and painted with three layers of anti-corrosive paint
   -The damaged members of the steel rail must be replaced 
   -Regular inspection of the structure must be carried out once every three months for maintenance purposes 
   -That the approach slab must be reconstructed 
   That all bridges along the corridor be fully assessed and rated by the Ministry of Public Works 
5. That WCL must place on each truck a hotline for the public to report reckless driving. In this direction, the Ministry of Public Works submits the below numbers for said purpose: 0770303676/0880914922
6. That all of the recommendations outlined in the National Investment Commission’s submission to WCL be fully implemented and adhered to consistent with the Road User Permit issued by the Ministry of Public Works 

In view of these developments, the Ministry hereby informs the public that it has lifted the suspension of Western Cluster’s Road User Permit, while at the same time assuring it of its effective monitoring mechanisms to ensure that the above stipulated terms are fully implemented for the good of the public.