Works Ministry promises cheaper, durable roads

TO construct more durable roads in 2023, the Ministry of Works and Transport will review its existing road maintenance strategy policy to include using TLA concrete asphalt mix for secondary and tertiary roads for rehabilitation and paving projects.

During the budget debate on Monday, the minister, Rohan Sinanan, said, “It is anticipated that this approach will ensure a more durable road surface” and it will also “improve the quality of road infrastructure and execution of projects.”

“In this aspect, the ministry is doing more for less by using locally sourced products and reducing our spending on foreign currency to import pavement materials.”

The intention is to adjust the design and specifications, where needed, to deliver roads with a longer design life.

Sinanan said the decision to adjust and review the existing policy came after the ministry realised there had been issues with adhering to the correct procedure to ensure road durability.

One solution was to modify and specify the design of materials required for road rehabilitation and construction.

The two-phase programme will use 25 contractors in the first phase and an additional 24 in the second.

Lake Asphalt TT is collaborating with UWI St Augustine to develop a training programme on spot-paving for small contractors.

The ministry will also work closely with contractors to control the quality of hot mix being supplied, thereby improving the durability of spot-patching.

Sinanan promised drivers, “Upon completion of this exercise, members of the public can expect a vast improvement in the driving experience.”

During the 2022/2023 budget presentation on September 26, Finance Minister Colm Imbert admitted TT’s road infrastructure deteriorated during the pandemic, when resources were redirected to the health sector.

Imbert announced a new state company – the Secondary Road Rehabilitation and Improvement Co Ltd – had been resourced with $100 million and will be given a further $100 million in 2023 for secondary road repairs.

Sinanan welcomed this and said his ministry will “commit to working closely with this company and WASA (Water and Sewerage Authority) to ensure an overall improvement of the road network.”

The ministry was allocated $ 3.748 billion for fiscal 2022/2023.

It got a further $250 million in loan financing for its road upgrade and enhancement programme.

In 2022 the ministry invested over $250 million in road rehabilitation, drainage slope stabilisation and bridge reconstruction work.

Since then, 300 road rehabilitation projects were started, over half of which have been completed, with the rest ongoing.