Roads, water distribution improvement on the cards

The Ministry of Transport, Works and Water Resources is set to embark on several projects aimed at improving the transport sector and water and road infrastructure on the island.

The projects were outlined by Minister Santia Bradshaw today during discussion on the Appropriations Bill, 2022. That ministry is set to receive $110,744,131 for the financial year.

Bradshaw pointed out that the ministry had responsibility for maintaining 2500 kilometers of water distribution and transmission mains and 1960 kilometers of road infrastructure.

She pointed out that the Mains Replacement Programme would continue with a goal of replacing 120 kilometers of water mains.

Bradshaw said plans were already underway to establish desalination plants at Colleton and Hope Plantation in St Lucy, while the pumping stations at St Stephen’s and Lodge Hill were being upgraded.

The minister said work was already ongoing at five new precast concrete water storage tanks at four locations around the island and her ministry had also started the process of procuring 34 diesel generators which were expected to arrive on island by May.

She said an extensive road infrastructure programme would also continue aimed at improving community roads across Barbados.

Bradshaw revealed that within the last few days Prime Minister Mia Mottley had signed a framework agreement with the Ambassador for the People’s Republic of China to begin the negotiating process of a loan agreement with the Exim Bank for $230 million.

She said the money would be used to improve road infrastructure and road slippage in the Scotland District.

Regarding the Transport Board, she said despite having received 49 new electric buses it still continued to work with an aging fleet. She said 10 more buses “were planned” for this financial year.

Bradshaw admitted that the Transport Authority, which is responsible for over 900 public service vehicles (PSVs), had been plagued with a number of “service quality issues” for some time.

“I hope that as minister we can wrestle to the ground a number of the issues that are plaguing the society, particularly in relation to poor driving in relation to the number of accidents on the road, in relation to the temperament sometimes of the drivers and the confrontations that we often see displayed in the public. I look forward to the stakeholder consultations in the course of the coming weeks,” she said.

“The time has come for us though to address the bad behavior. I can certainly say to the public that we have transport regulations that are coming. It is our intention to be able to go back to Parliament and get those approved and certainly be in a position shortly, to roll out an extensive campaign to ensure that drivers who are on our roads going forward with the PSVs, basically comply with a certain level of standards that allow us to be comfortable that we are safe when we use these particular vehicles.”

Bradshaw said it was her intention that the Barbados Mass Transit Authority, the merger of the Transport Board and the Transport Authority, would be completed this year.

She said plans were at a “fairly advanced stage” and it was hoped discussions could be concluded in the next few weeks.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb