This country has to be able to produce roads that can withstand the weight of the new, heavier vehicles.

That’s according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Lands and Surveys and Physical Planning, Montgomery Daniel.

Daniel was speaking on a recent Radio program when he said patching the roads is not enough.

"That it is challenging to the roads that were established many, many, years ago. And so, if you look at the weaker areas on the roads that was done, even within the last twenty years that this government would have been in office; like areas in Biabou, Stubbs, where the sub-base is not good. They patch the road this week, next week you have one of these heavy vehicles passing onto that road again, it moves the material. So we have to able to be producing roads now that can carry or have a better load carrying capacity to ensure that we can have these heavier vehicles moving on the roads."

Minister Daniel said that the cost of road rehabilitation works is expected to increase in order to have properly constructed roads that are resilient to heavy trucks and the transport of machinery.

"So, the cost of these roads are going to be tremendously increasing and while last year we did overall, well not last year, for this year under the NRRP Program we are doing, last year we did 40 million, this year we are to do another 75 million. So that next year the projections will be 120 million on road works, but that is still not enough but we have to continue to repair the roads."

SOURCE: National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC Radio)