19th July 2016
Road Construction Engineer, Craig Payne has been appointed Head of the Roads Division, one of the three main divisions of the Ministry of Works and Housing.
Mr. Payne's appointment comes at a time when the demand for road work remains at a high, especially with the staging of Antigua's Carnival 2016.
"I am pleased to report that despite limited resources, work is ongoing in several different areas island wide and I can assure you that work on the carnival route will be completed in time for the upcoming festivities," Payne disclosed.
Meantime; work is ongoing in Pares Village, Bethesda, Parham and along the Piggotts main road.
Road Engineers will continue working in these areas for another two weeks. Patching work has been completed on the Airport Road and focus will now be placed on the main road leading to English Harbour.
"The plan is to complete the concrete work for the bridge overpass on the road that leads from Herberts to Seaview Farm by the end of the week and begin paving shortly after," according to Payne.
The resurfacing of the main road that connects Golden Grove to the Gray's Farm area also forms part of the plan.
The Newly appointed Head of Roads stated, "Overall, I am very pleased with the level of productivity despite the challenges. I expect that road works will receive a boost with the arrival of new equipment that have already been ordered for work to be undertaken by the Ministry of Woks and Housing".
He further added, "A highlight for us is road works that will take place with the utilization of an automated sidewalk paving system as well as the use of an emulsion type product that will be more cost effective as well as environmentally friendly for the patching of roads".
Payne also stated, "Very shortly, our road team will be able to use a saw to cut the road before patching. Through this method, the bad portion of the road surface will be defined and patching mix will be poured into a confined area providing a more leveled finish to the surface of the road."
Efforts are also being made to complete several sporting facilities with work already ongoing at the Bolans Ball Court.
The Old Road complex will be completed through Public and Private Partnership with a local hotel at an estimated cost of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars (EC $120,000.00.)
