The Highway Maintenance Programme is kicking into high gear with several sections of the ABC Highway being milled and paved. The roads that have been completed are the ABC Highway from the JTC Ramsey Circle to BET Hill; and the Errol Barrow Roundabout, Graeme Hall to the Top Rock Roundabout.
According to Darius Cumberbatch, Supervising Engineer with Professional Engineering Services Limited (PESL) Barbados, consultants with the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW), proper maintenance is the main component for ensuring the longevity of a highway and roads with high traffic volumes.
“Based on the records we have; a lot of these highways have not been repaired in 20-plus years. Maintenance is a key part of tackling the highway because like other roads, where cracks appear and they are left too long, the more they deteriorate… This leads to a more expensive intervention and longer intervention periods which in turn leads to longer delays for the public. Therefore, maintenance is key, especially on a highway road where the volume of traffic is a lot higher.”
Mr. Cumberbatch stressed that the ongoing Highway Maintenance Programme aims to maintain roads by bringing them to a level of service quickly, noting that tackling issues in the early stages was essential to preventing bigger problems later down the road.
The engineer further outlined that an igneous aggregate was being used in the asphalt on the highways under the ongoing programme. “This stone is of a higher density than our local limestone and offers better traction. The density also helps with the longevity of the asphalt surface and the overall resistance to loading and traffic impact…. Given the higher speeds seen on the highway, it offers assistance to drivers that need to brake in emergency situations where they are unfortunately breaking the speed limit,” he explained, adding that the mixed design is of a very high standard and was used by MTW in previous years.
Work under the Highway Maintenance Programme includes milling and paving, with occasional deep milling. The section of the ABC Highway from the Edwy Talma Roundabout to the junction near the Deighton Griffith Secondary School however required more extensive remedial work. Mr. Cumberbatch noted that after investigation, there was evidence that a part of the road was sinking. He said water would have entered through the initial cracks, washing out some of the base layer, which led to fallen potholes causing the road to sink in some areas. As a result, the base layer was replaced and the road was rebuilt. “That section took a little longer than the typical mill and pave, given that area deteriorated more than the others,” he said.
Three contractors are working for MTW on the Highway Maintenance Programme; they are B&R Infrastructure Ltd., C.O. Williams Construction Ltd., and Infra Construction Inc.
Manager of Paving for Infra Construction Inc., Sean Cox said his company was responsible for the JTC Ramsay Circle to BET Hill. Pointing out the work was divided into two phases and went fairly smoothly, he said the underlying subbase did not have many issues so paving was carried out shortly after milling.
Mr. Cox praised the public’s response to the ongoing programme. “This year we found that the public has been a lot more aware and a lot better informed from the Ministry. The issues that we have had over the past years with the public and the attitudes towards the paving, I am not seeing that this year. Everybody seems to be happy with what is going on on the highways. This has helped to make everything [go] a lot faster and smoother.”
Work is currently ongoing from the Edwy Talma Roundabout to the junction near the Deighton Griffith Secondary School. The other areas earmarked under the programme are the Wildey Triangle, St. Michael, which began on Monday, March 24, and from the D’Arcy Scott Roundabout to the Welches Roundabout in St. Michael, which was started on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Work is also planned for the Airport Access Road from Tom Adams Roundabout to the mini roundabout in front of the Grantley Adams International Airport. (KS/MTW)