Mashabo, Agatash, and Mainstay roads to be upgraded

The Ministry of Public Works will soon execute maintenance works on the main access roads of Mashabo, Mainstay, and Agatash to provide relief to commuters within those respective areas.

Minister Juan Edghill made this disclosure during the National Toshaos Council Conference (NTC), on Wednesday.

He stated that the ministry’s engineer has already examined, and estimated the cost for these roads.

Minister Edghill indicated that an estimate of over $1B is needed for upgrading seven kilometers of the road from Tapakuma to the Mainstay high bridge, while $317 million is needed for a road at Mashabo, Region Two.

In Agatash, Region Seven, over 1500 residents are set to benefit from a $30 million road upgrade.

The Minister said that while he wishes to kick-start these road works as quickly as possible, financing the projects is proving to be a challenge. He committed to having the roads done in a phased manner.

“So, what we have done is, that we have examined all of the roads. We have designed it which means we have the bill of quantities and cost. As soon as the opportunity presents itself in terms of financing, we’ll be able to execute works,” he said.

In the interim, interventions will be made to enhance the roadways as a short-term solution.

Minister Edghill requested patience from the villagers as his ministry intends to upgrade every access road to a standard that is durable and beneficial to commuters.

“We do not just want fair- weather roads, because our infrastructure must also be resilient to deal with the issues of climate change. So, we have to put in solid bridges [with] asphaltic concrete so that these roads could last 10 to 15 years without having to do major repairs,” he added.

The minister was responding to requests made by St Denys/ Tapakuma and Agatash  toshaos to upgrade these roads, which will improve road connectivity for surrounding communities.

In 2021, the Public Works Ministry spent $2.1 billion on the construction and rehabilitation of roads in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10. Among those roads were Kaburi, Puruni, Kopinang, Monkey Mountain, Paramakatoi and Chiung Mouth.

Some $3.4 billion will be spent to construct and rehabilitate hinterland roads for 2022.