The Work Services Group (WSG) of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure successfully carried out works to maintain and develop 81 roads in 2016. This is according to the unit’s Coordinator, Geoffrey Vaughn, who told the media that the road interventions were completed to the tune of $1.048B under the unit’s 2016 Road Maintenance programme.
He explained that under this programme, the unit tackled such interventions as “minor rehabilitation of local failure, pothole patching, and minor rehabilitation of local failure, road safety maintenance (road marking and signs), cleaning or clearing of existing drains, and grading and shaping of road shoulders.”
Vaughn said that corrective maintenance intervention was brought to 40 roads with approximately 150 kilometers in length and 914 meters in width. The roads that benefitted from these interventions include Louisa Row, Mandela Avenue, and Hadfield, Norton and Princes Streets. He said that these interventions mainly focused on overlaying the roads with asphaltic concrete and putting in place road markings.
Vaughn explained that for the remaining 31 roads, which were approximately 1000 meters in length and 400 meters in width, the unit brought corrective interventions in 2016, which include patching potholes with either pre-mix or crusher-run. Carmichael, Broad, Evans, and Charlotte Streets and others in Alberttown benefitted from this intervention.
Meanwhile, Vaughn also reported that the unit was able to surpass its 2016 target with regards to the construction and rehabilitation of roads in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 under its Miscellaneous and Urban Roads Programme.
He told the media that instead of the programmed construction/rehabilitation of 31 new and existing roads that were expected to be completed under the two programmes, under the Miscellaneous programme, the unit was able to construct 148 roads (or 57km) in 2016. These roads were done with asphaltic concrete, reinforced concrete or crusher-run.
Under the Urban Roads Programme instead of the targeted 31 roads, the unit was able to complete 75 roads (36km) in 2016.
A budgeted amount of $1.425 Billion and $1.164 Billion was allocated under the Miscellaneous and Urban Roads Programme, respectively, in 2016. Under the Miscellaneous Programme $665 Million was to be used for the construction/rehabilitation of the projected 31 new and existing roads in Region 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, while the remaining money was to be used mainly for the completion of multi-year projects.
For the Urban Roads Programme approximately $386 Million was proposed to be spent on the construction/rehabilitation for the 31 roads.
