The government asphalt plant, which has been lauded as a solution to help rehabilitate badly deteriorated roads in the territory, has finally been brought online.
The Swiss-based machine industry company Ammann recently handed over the keys to the now fully operational plant, according to Public Works Department Director Jeremy Hodge.
“It enables us to stretch our limited resources designated to road maintenance, making a positive impact on the overall efficiency and effectiveness of our road infrastructure,” Mr. Hodge said in a Sept. 27 press release.
Delays
The project has seen repeated delays in recent years.
In late 2019, equipment for the new plant arrived in the territory, but the project stalled while planners struggled to secure an appropriate site, as the originally planned area proved to be “dusty,” officials said previously.
Construction was further delayed during the pandemic due to shipping delays for specialised electrical components, they added.
Planners eventually worked to make the original site suitable for the plant, and it was officially commissioned last week.
Repairs
Now, new repair works are getting under way, according to Mr. Hodge.
On Oct. 2, the government announced that roads from Fine Foods in East End to Beef Island would be closed for cleaning to prepare for upcoming asphalt paving and road patching. However, those works might be set back now: Heavy flooding affected much of the territory during the passage of Tropical Storm Philippe this week, tearing up several areas of recently paved roadway.