Associated Construction Services (ACS), a local construction company, on Saturday, in the new town of Bartica, commissioned a $150 million asphalt plant capable of producing 300 tonnes of asphalt on a daily basis.
The plant which is expected to create more road work and maintenance projects and thousands more jobs was commissioned by Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally, Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson, and ACS owner Peter Lewis, according to a GINA press release. Other regional and municipal representatives included the Region Chairman and the Mayor of Bartica.
“Region Seven is on the cusp of significant development,” Ally was quoted as saying in the press bulletin. The crucial investment by ACS was one of several to come in the area of economic enhancement as the government commits to assisting the region in leveraging its’ natural and human resources, she added.
“With the asphalt plant… it will see many more road projects moving from loam [to] Double Bituminous Surface Treatment, with asphalt roads becoming a reality,” Ferguson was quoted as saying by GINA. It would also help to reduce environmental pollution and ensure all-weather roads for the hinterland, she continued.
ACS, a family business based at Hampshire, Corentyne, Berbice was established in 1997 and provides a wide range of construction services in all three counties, including rental of machinery and equipment. The release further noted the ACS investment in Bartica covers the preparation of the land for the facility and the acquisition of the full computerized plant which was procured from India and assembled by an Indian engineer who spent one month training staff to manage the facility.
In 2014, ACS invested more than $100 million in its first asphalt plant in Tarlogie Village, Corentyne, Berbice. It is important to have a local source for asphalt for projects, as it must be delivered hot, shortly after it is produced in order to spread it, roll it, and for the asphalt to properly bond and cure for pavement, the bulletin stated.
