Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Everald Warmington, has outlined a raft of polices that will guide how roads and infrastructure are maintained, repaired and constructed across the island.

Addressing the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Warmington said the new policy will lead to improvement in the quality and standard of the work done by the National Works Agencies on the approximately 5,000 kilometres of roadway under the control of the central government.

He underscored that the policy also calls for the re-examining of approach to the patching and repairing of roads.

Warmington also vowed that there will be no further road construction without comprehensive drainage system and added that cement will be used on the roads in some area.

According to Warmington, it could cost the taxpayers some $20 billion to construct and maintain roads to the standards as outlined in the new policy. He said this is to be done gradually until all roads are covered.

Warmington said he would be coordinating with the Ministry of Local Government, which will be doing some patching work shortly.

Under the policy, according to Warmington, work on the roads will be viewed as preventative maintenance or corrective maintenance, which include performance standards, rehabilitation, and emergency repairs.

“For performance standard the most effective team sized equipment, methods, and procedures for performing the work would be defined for each significant maintenance work items to be utilised,” said Warmington in his statement.

He added that routine maintenance — the day-to-day work on the roads —will be carried out throughout the year. This will include bushing, cleaning side drains and small repair to pavement.

“Periodic maintenance, which is also preventative maintenance, as its names implied, will be carried out periodically, usually at an interval of a number of years and will include resurfacing of pavements, re-gravelling, resealing, overlaying,” said Warmington.

He argued that the Government is dealing with very old infrastructures and over the years there has inadequate funding to satisfy the needs of not only the main roads but some of the secondary roads.

“Rehabilitative maintenance, which is corrective maintenance, will be carried out when a particular road element has reached a stage where despite routine maintenance it does not fulfil the function for which is was originally designed or intended. Emergency repairs will be carried out following heavy damage caused by flood hurricane and other natural disaster,” said the minister as he told the House that to begin its new policy the Government plans to get a comprehensive view of the conditions of the roads using geographic information system and other methods. The last road condition survey was done in 2014.

While welcoming the plans announced by Warminigton, Opposition spokesperson on transport and works Mikhail Phillips urged that the Government needs to give a clear indication as to where the money will be coming from to improve the roads.

Phillips warned that despite the good intention of the minister, this will come to naught if the funding is not clearly identified.