Concrete solutions

Two of the three roads that are part of the Ministry of Transport and Works’ concrete road pilot project are now complete, and Minister Michael Lashley says they are already looking at other roads which can be constructed utilising concrete.  

 

He made the disclosure to The Barbados Advocate yesterday afternoon, while at Scott’s Gap, Brittons Hill, St. Michael where he, accompanied by Member of Parliament for St. Michael South Central, Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Richard Sealy, toured the new road, built by Creative Paving Solutions which won the bid.

 

“This road was done very quickly. From my information this was done in about three weeks. Clearly these roads can be built in short order and that is something that we think is important. In the coming weeks we will look to see the longevity of roads done from concrete compared to those done from asphalt, also taking into consideration the competition out there in terms of cement. With the price reduction, we believe we will be able to build these roads in a more economically way than before,” he said.

 

 

Lashley added, “Once we get the buy in, then we will expand and go out further to other roads, perhaps even major roads.”

 

He made the comments while revealing that his Ministry is considering utilising the concrete option in some parts of Christ Church and St. Philip going forward, “where they can move in quickly and build the roads”. However, the Transport and Works Minister said it will be a couple of months before such work can be started. He made the point just before indicating that the third road which is part of the pilot, located at Bishops, St. Lucy, has had it’s the first phase of construction completed and it should be finished in about a month’s time.

 

Meanwhile, lauding Lashley and his Ministry on the work done, Minister Sealy said he is fully in support of the project and believes that not only concrete roads, but concrete walkways are the way to go throughout both urban and rural communities.

 

“In many of these highly urbanised communities where we don’t have a lot of land and the right-of-ways are limited, it is the best way we can afford some degree of comfort for the residents being able to go about their day-to-day activities without having to walk with an extra pair of shoes as soon as there’s mud. Walking with an extra pair of shoes in a plastic bag is a reality for many people, and I think this approach to solving that problem is to be commended,” he said.

 

His comments came as he indicated that he was pleased that the solution provided at Scott’s Gap also took into consideration the drainage issues prevalent in the area, putting the “appropriate drainage amenities” in place.

 

“As you can see there is a well and the road is designed to drain to the well so it should help improve the drainage situation,” he stated.

 

Sealy made the point while suggesting that there are communities off Layne’s Road, Forde’s Road and Cummins Road where similar road solutions would be useful. Likewise, he said there are some areas of his constituency that could benefit from the construction of concrete walkways to join communities and provide much needed pedestrian access. He referred to Weir’s Gap, McClean’s Gap and Hall Road as prime examples. (JRT)