Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has announced that an additional five million dollars will be allocated to the Ministry of Transport and Works’ (MTW) $30 million Accelerated Mill and Pave Programme.
To date, 17 roads have been resurfaced under the programme since it started on January 13, this year.
Praising the work, Ms. Mottley said: “I am satisfied that in just over a month we are making progress and I am hoping that we can make more progress…. Given where we are in the financial year, an additional five million dollars can be given to MTW, so they will be working with $35 million.”
The Prime Minister stated this during a media tour and press briefing on Friday, February 23, when she, along with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Santia Bradshaw, visited Salters, St. George, and Oistins to Thornbury Hill, Christ Church, to get a first-hand look at the resurfacing work.
They were accompanied by Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Romel Springer; Acting Chief Technical Officer, Jason Bowen; MTW’s consultant Abdul Pandor; and other ministry officials.
She told the touring party and the media that persons may be questioning why work was being done at night. She pointed out that the contractors may be required to work 12 to 14-hour days to finish the work.
Ms. Mottley also thanked the Deputy Prime Minister and her team for the attention given to the north of the island, noting previously there was a deficit of work being done in those parishes.
The Prime Minister added: “A similar programme is being planned for bridges, some of which have not been touched in over 30 or 40 years…. The Government has to balance out the mill and pave roads, the reconstructed roads, the ones that need utility mains going in again, and the ones that need bridges reinforced, and we are trying to bridge that gap.”
Ms. Bradshaw reported: “We have completed about 31 per cent of the roads that we have identified. There are about 53 kilometres of roads to be done.”
She said the Ministry’s contractors, C.O. Williams Construction Limited and Infra Construction Inc., were working on several roads. These include Brighton to Constant, St. George; Franklin Douglin Road, St. Andrew; Clarke Road, St. Peter; Kensington New Road, St. Michael; Mount Hillaby, St. Thomas; Highway 2A to Rock Hall, St. Andrew; and Highway 1 from Speightstown, St. Peter, to Holetown, St. James.
Minister Bradshaw said the response to the road works from the public has been positive and the Ministry is pleased to bring a level of relief across communities.
The $30 million Accelerated Mill and Pave initiative, announced earlier this year by Prime Minister Mottley, forms a critical part of MTW’s ongoing maintenance plan to help extend the longevity of roads, while providing a smoother ride for motorists across the island.
The programme focuses on roads with deteriorated surfaces where utility services have already been installed or do not require significant upgrades, and roads that do not require reconstruction and drainage works. (PR/GIS)
CAPTION: Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley speaking with members of the media during a tour and press briefing for the Ministry of Transport and Works’ $30 million Accelerated Mill and Pave Programme, last Friday
