A new asphalt plant will be operational by next April, the Minister of Public Works has confirmed.

Speaking in the House of Assembly yesterday, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch said that the new plant — and additional equipment including a milling machine, shuttle buggy and paver — was purchased from a US manufacturer at a cost of almost $6.2 million and will be shipped to the island by the end of the year.

It is expected to take several more months to assemble the plant after its component parts arrive.

The Government’s existing plant was put out of action last year, forcing the ministry to buy asphalt from a private company to keep up with its road repair programme.

According to a government spokesman, about 75 per cent of the allocated funding for the new plant was contained in the 2023-24 Budget, with the remaining expenditure coming out of the next fiscal period.

Colonel Burch said: “This is an investment in the future, and we are expecting that this new equipment will last at least 20 years.”

He added that the manufacturer — Aztec Industries — had agreed to provide free training for public works staff.

He said: “With employees that have over 40 years of experience in the industry, the training is a unique opportunity for them to receive expert guidance on modern techniques and applications to enhance the asphalt-laying process.”

The island’s 100 miles of roads have fallen into disrepair in recent years, and in this year’s Budget the Government doubled its funding for the programme to $5 million.

Colonel Burch said that the problem had been compounded by an extensive trenching programme by electricity supplier Belco and excessive rainfall that had caused potholes to reappear just days after being repaired.

Providing an update on that programme, Colonel Burch said that road crews had been “out in force“ targeting sections of road most in need of repair.

The resurfacing of both lanes of a section of South Shore Road, in Southampton, is complete while work on South Road at the Collector’s Hill junction in Smith’s will be complete next week.

Colonel Burch said: “Upon the conclusion of the works at Collector’s Hill, the asphalting teams will address rough areas on Middle Road in Warwick and Crawl Hill in Hamilton Parish.

“They will eventually return to Harrington Sound Road to pave from the Harrington Sound School until Flatts, then on to North Shore Road, through Flatts village and Middle Road, Flatts from North Shore Road to Store Hill.

“I hope this update provides an understanding of the situation and plan going forward. We are fully committed to addressing the state of our roads as quickly as possible.

“I would like to take this opportunity to again thank the motoring public for their patience and understanding, and like always I will keep this House and the public informed as we progress.”