Barbadians have been told to expect an increase in road works over the next few months as the Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) rolls out an intense maintenance and rehabilitation plan aimed at capitalizing on the dry season.
Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Santia Bradshaw made the announcement today, Monday, February 3, 2025, as she toured Chelston Avenue in St. Michael, one of the first roads to benefit under the initiative.
“This new set of works that we are starting today at Chelston Avenue and also over at [3rd Avenue] Free Hill in Black Rock is the beginning of an accelerated programme of works, which in some cases will be complex works, that will require drainage and other road improvements. There will also be some where you will see a straightforward mill and pave taking place in many of the districts across the island. We are still playing catch up in terms of the amount of work that is required to reconstruct and rehabilitate our roads, but what the ministry has determined is that once we assess the roads, we start to prioritize the category into which those roads are placed, and then we are able systematically, to be able to assign those works to contractors, to be able to have the volume of road rehabilitation taking place over the next few months,” she explained.
The Transport Minister noted that the initial list of roads had been selected based on feedback from the public on social media, from parliamentary representatives, and the Parish Speaks meetings. She added that the Ministry’s technical team and consultants assessed the roads and prioritized them based on the repairs and rehabilitation that needed to be done.
Under this programme, small contractors will be utilized in addition to the bigger construction companies. The work will include a combination of mill and pave, drainage improvements, and remedial repairs to sidewalks, manholes, and slipper and kerb.