Public works crews have been out in force resurfacing roads in the West End.

In the House of Assembly two weeks ago, Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the Minister of Public Works, said that motorists could expect the pace of maintenance to speed up in the coming months.

He explained that roadworks would recommence at Watford Bridge, the Collector’s Hill and South Road junction, South Shore Road at Henry VIII, and Harrington Sound Road through Middle Road.

Work in the West End was under way this week.

Plans are also in the pipeline to pave Middle Road in Flatts and North Shore Road to Stone Hill as well as Middle Road in Warwick between Belmont and Camp Hill.

Beyond these, asphalt works could include Stokes Point Road down to Mullet Bay Road in St George’s, and onward to York Street.

The Government unveiled a $5 million project to resurface poorly maintained roads in its Budget last month.

Bermuda’s 100-mile road network has been blighted by potholes and peeling tarmac in the past 12 months.

A shortage of asphalt led to delays in repairs, but Colonel Burch said the problem was exacerbated by “historic” levels of rainfall in the past year, which caused freshly repaired potholes to open up again within days.

The minister also acknowledged that successive administrations were guilty of neglecting the island’s infrastructure in the past two decades.

At a press conference last month, Colonel Burch said: “This $5 million investment more than doubles our capacity to improve road conditions and set out a plan to address not just potholes but the deteriorating state of the roads generally.

“However, I must temper expectations with realism — the journey to smoother roads is a marathon, not a sprint.”