Mashabo, Agatash, and Mainstay roads to be upgraded

Maintenance works on the main access roads of Mashabo, Mainstay, and Agatash will soon be executed by the Public Works ministry to provide relief to commuters within those respective areas.

This disclosure was made by Minister Juan Edghill during the National Toshaos Council Conference (NTC), on Wednesday. Edghill pointed out that the ministry’s engineer has already examined, and estimated the cost for these roads.

The minister pointed out that an estimate of over $1B is needed for upgrading seven kilometers of the road from Tapakuma to the Mainstay high bridge, while $317M is needed for a road at Mashabo, Region Two. However, in Agatash, Region Seven, over 1500 residents are set to benefit from a $30M road upgrade.

Edghill stressed that while he wishes to kick-start these road works as quickly as possible, financing the projects is proving to be a challenge. He gave the commitment 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.

The minister said that in the interim, interventions will be made to enhance the roadways as a short-term solution. The public works minister 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 stressed. Edghill at the time was responding to requests made by St Denys/ Tapakuma and Agatash Toshaos to upgrade these roads, which will improve road connectivity for surrounding communities.

It was revealed that the Public Works Ministry spent $2.1B in 2021on the construction and rehabilitation of roads in Regions One, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10. It was noted that among those roads were Kaburi, Puruni, Kopinang, Monkey Mountain, Paramakatoi and Chiung Mouth. Additionally, some $3.4B will be spent to construct and rehabilitate hinterland roads for 2022.