The Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MoPI) is refuting media reports which claim that a stretch of road in Lima Sands, Region Two that was purportedly constructed by the ministry has deteriorated.
In a release yesterday, the MoPI stated that it has taken note of recent newspaper articles that spoke of the “deplorable” condition of the Lima Sands road in Region Two.
The ministry informed that the construction of the above-mentioned road is dependent on a new budget. It was pointed out that the MoPI through its Special Projects Unit (SPU), Works Services Group, had constructed an asphalt road on the approach to the thoroughfare back in 2018 to the tune of approximately $100 million.
The release stated that the asphalt road project it undertook covered approximately 2 kilometres, whereby the village road stretches for about three miles adding, “This means that attempting to construct this road will exceed the SPU’s yearly budgetary allocation for projects.”
Consequently, the Project Engineer suggested that the project be tackled in phases to improve the condition of the road but cautioned that the heavy cost attached to the construction of the road would involve a tendering process. This, he said, could mean that the project will take a lengthier time before it comes to fruition.
The engineer explained that the village road has no real structure and would have to be built entirely from scratch. Based on this circumstance, he advised the MoPI not to carry out isolated repairs to the large potholes as this would be a “waste of resources” due to the present state of the road. According to the engineer, the expenditure needed to fill the potholes can be instead used to construct a new road and it was against this backdrop that he recommended that remedial works be done by the local authorities.
According to the engineer, it is his understanding that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Two had carried out some works on the village road with crusher run overlay, also in 2018, which has now deteriorated due to the weather, the release added.
