Minister of Works, Montgomery Daniel says that the government will spend EC$75 million on roads in 2024, and contracts have been signed already for a number of roadways across the country.
He noted during the Estimates Debate on Dec. 19 that EC$142,420,051 of the EC$1.6 billion in Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for 2024 has been allocated to the Ministry of Transport and Works, Lands and Surveys and Physical Planning.
Of that allocation, recurrent expenditure accounts for EC$35,865,049, while capital expenditure is EC$106,855,003.
“What is for the interesting is that of the capital expenditure of $106,855,003 … $75 million will be spent on roads alone,” Daniel said.
“Of course, if you ask me, yes, the ministry can do with more. And I’m sure every single ministry can do it more in terms of its allocation.”
He said that in 2024, much will not change for the ministry’s recurrent expenditure.
“… And so, we in the Ministry of Transport and Works, understanding that the concern as identified from time to time is on roads, it is the first time the Ministry of Transport and Works is given such huge sums to be able to improve the roads of this country,” Daniel said.
He told Parliament his ministry has done various assessments.
“And over the years, we would have seen that communities have expanded tremendously thereby creating an increase in runoff water into the roads, into the drains which have difficulty in channelling such quantities of water,” the works minister said.
“Coupled with this is that the observation has been made where larger vehicles are on the roads with heavier quantities of materials to which the load bearing capacity of the road is challenged. These are factors we have looked at.”
Daniel said there are other issues as well, adding, “But we can only do our best with the resources that has been made available to the Ministry of Transport and Works. And we are happy that this year $75 million alone will be spent on roads.”
He pointed out that the National Road Rehabilitation Programme, which is funded by Taiwan, was approved this year in the sum of EC$120 million.
Also, this year, EC$27 million was approved for works to be done from this original sum of EC$120 million, Daniel told Parliament.
“In the allocation in this 2024 estimates, this programme, the National Road rehabilitation programme, we’ll see an amount of $40,824,450. This will be a continuation of the already $27 million that [has] been approved for expenditure in the year 2023.
“And so, contractors … have been approved. Contracts … have been signed and works …have been started.
The said the project unit has submitted to the cabinet, which has approved to the main contractors OECC, a contract for 10 roads as a lot one at an amount of $21 million dollars.
BRAGSA was awarded a contract of $14.1 million to do nine roads in lot 2 and in lot 3, 15 roadshave also been approved with 10 contractors in the sum of $10 million.
Daniel said that the roads that have been approved and for which contracts have been signed are: Magum, Colonarie Estate, Grand Sable Estate, Man-o-war, Peruvian Vale, Mount Pleasant, Calliaqua internal roads, Keartons community roads, Noel village roads, South Windward coastal works realignment, the road at Shipping Bay, the Hackshaw Bank Realignment, the Windward Highway Diamond at Mayah’s Suites, Belvedere bridge and approach road, Johnny Hill Link Road, Dorsetshire Hill Road, Cumberland playing field road, Canouan Coast Guard road, Chapmans village road, Langley Park village road, cotton ground road, Carute to Montaque, Carriere village road, Brighton school road (near Thomas apartments and internal roads), Belvedere, Barrymore Road, Daphne road, welcome main road, Roseau village Bottom and crosslink road, Lowmans plan village roads, Buccament Polyclinic road, Twenty Hill road, Green Hill internal roads, Edinboro (near Bandy Waist former residence), Edinboro Avenue Road, Barrouallie Capital Hill, and Barrouallie LRC to Browne’s Church.
I would want to believe that the mentioned Dorsetshire Hill road includes Queens Drive where we no longer have potholes but veritable craters which are large enough to accommodate the length of a truck!!! My heart bleeds for those who have to drive through them daily. I’m relatively “fortunate” that such craters lie just beyond my own residence.
As I read this list, the only road in the Grenadines to be included is the Canouan Coast Guard road. Is that correct? Will all of the other Grenadines (Bequia, Mayreau and Union Island) be completely neglected?
I don’t see the roads in Layou in this plan. The stone Quarries has destroyed the roads leading to the mountain where farmers travel daily to plant their crops and feed their animals.
Then there is the road that hooks Jackson Bay with other sections of the roads in Layou that have deteriorated for years. Once they did some work there after Louis built his castle in the Jackson Bay area. Buses and van use the road regualarly to transport passengers and goods. The vehicles enter the road at Velox Corner and exit at First River.
Where is the constituency representative? The road in Texier Road where he is rumoured to have a home needs to be updated. Is layou a second-class town?
Nothing, and I mean nothing has been done there for years.
NOTHING FOR NORTH LEEWARD, THAT HAS THE MOST TOURIST ATTRACTIONS. ALWAYS LAST IN EVERY GOVERNMENT PROJECT
Ar yo really ha the people as fools eh?
Percy Palmer you all complaining about the state of the roads in your area. You all are not the same people drinking from the ULP poison chalice and say 6 in a row. Stop complain and navigate the roads in the best way you can. Roads are bad all over. Keep quiet and stop complain. It was not selective attention.