Works Ministry to Introduce New Maintenance Programme

The Ministry of Transport and Works will be introducing a new road maintenance programme, as it continues to develop strategies aimed at preserving the country’s roadways.

Minister of State in the Ministry, Dr. Fenton Ferguson made the announcement while addressing the contract signing ceremony for the construction of a ford at Moore Park in Bybrook, Western Portland on Friday, February 25.

The project, which will be called the National Road Services Improvement Project (NARSIP), will involve routine maintenance schedules.

Dr. Ferguson said the project would be undertaken in the parishes of Portland, St. Thomas, Manchester, Westmoreland and St. Catherine, adding that unlike the current maintenance programmes, it would be an on-going three-year initiative aimed at clearing drains, patching roadways, and replacing damaged signs and barriers.

He noted that the Ministry has already identified and recommended 10 packages for award under the new programme, and that special consideration has been given to developing a computerized routine maintenance management system to capture and monitor the maintenance of all the drains, culverts and catch basins in the five parishes.

Dr. Ferguson said that NARSIP would be a performance driven programme, which would attract penalties for breaches of the contractual obligations, adding that when implemented, it would significantly reduce the incidence of flooding in the parishes.

The State Minister emphasised that maintenance activities were of critical importance in preserving the country’s roadways, and that the Ministry and the National Works Agency (NWA) have been reviewing and designing special programmes to deal with Portland, because of the heavy rainfall and the predominance of clay soil in the planning of road rehabilitation and construction activities.