East End Asphalt will be up and running within a few days after a temporary break in operations for routine maintenance, the firm’s general manager has confirmed.

Both the island’s asphalt facilities, the Government’s included, have been out of operation at a time when heavy rainfall has contributed to numerous potholes forming around the island.

Travis Gilbert, the general manager, said East End Asphalt in Hamilton Parish, which has been providing back-up services to the Government’s ageing asphalt plant, out of operation since last summer, has been undergoing maintenance since the end of last year to avoid any “catastrophic event”.

However, at a press conference yesterday, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, said that East End Asphalt was experiencing similar problems to the government plant.

Motorists have been taking to social media to complain about large potholes that have developed around the island, not least since Thursday’s downpour.

“We have had rain in this country over the last 13 months of biblical proportions, and that has had a significant detrimental effect on our roads,” Colonel Burch said yesterday.

“We have a significant amount of potholes, so we are constantly looking at ways in which we can address this problem, not only of potholes, but roads in the country.

“People will know that our plant has been down for a year and we are in the process of purchasing a new plant. That’s a long-term plan. Unfortunately, the only other supplier of asphalt in the country, their plant is down as well.

“It’s about the same age as ours, so we are having the same sort of troubles. We are taking other steps to come up with a solution that will precede the new plant arrival and installation.”

Colonel Burch said he expects the government plant to be operational within six months.

Mr Gilbert told The Royal Gazette that East End Asphalt was down only for routine annual maintenance.

He said: “Every year, we do annual maintenance to make sure we don’t have a catastrophic event. The reason it stands out is because the government plant is out at the same time, plus we have the unusual rain and conditions.

“We should be up in a couple of days.

“I think potholes are being filled with a cold mix in a bag that is temporary but makes it a bit safer.

“The best way to fix the problem is to do a permanent fix and repave the roads. That is very expensive.

“The next best fix, which is temporary, is putting a hot-mix asphalt into a pothole, then the third is to put a cold mix in the pothole.“

Mr Gilbert said the main problem is the island’s ageing roads coupled with the heavy rainfall.

He said there is plenty of aggregate available to make more hot asphalt once the plant is running.

Colonel Burch issued a statement this afternoon saying that the Ministry of Public Works is “actively addressing” the issue of potholes, saying the rainfall had exacerbated the situation.

He confirmed that the ministry has “adapted by utilising bagged asphalt as a temporary solution to repair potholes”.

“This interim measure allows the highways team to continue repairing major roads and critical areas during dry periods. Once the plant is operational again, the ministry will use [East End Asphalt’s] asphalt for our paving and pothole-filling needs.”

He said permanent refurbishments have been delayed owing to necessary trenching work for underground Belco cables and that long-term paving solutions will take time to achieve.

He added that the Government is "exploring alternative asphalt supplies to mitigate current shortages“.

Over the recent weekend, repair works were completed at North Shore Road at Crawl Hill in Hamilton Parish and Edgehill Drive on Middle Road in Paget, Colonel Burch said.

Last year was Bermuda’s wettest year in 121 years, with a total of 77.36in of rain, according to the Bermuda Weather Service.

In 1902, 89.24in of precipitation was recorded.

The Ministry of Public Works allocated a budget of a little more than $2 million for road works last year plus an additional $900,000 from the previous fiscal year.

Colonel Burch said last year that efforts to increase funding for paving were under way for the balance of 2023 and that it would cost more than $100 million to pave all the roads in the country.

The supplier of the Government’s asphalt plant visited Bermuda in November to review options for its replacement.

• The public can report potholes by e-mailing potholes@gov.bm