Gov’t working to secure funding for 38 miles of roadworks– Hon Kye M. Rymer
Hon Rymer made the announcement following questions from the media during a press conference on April 18, 2024.
“Roads affect us all indeed, and that is why I made sure that we had some segment in this press conference about roads and I thank the premier for making $1.8 million available so that we can do some remedial work.”
Hon Rymer added, “In terms of the 38 miles of road, I think the Ministry of Finance, they are doing their assessment of the tender right now and I think they'll be working to secure the funding as I mentioned for those 38 miles of roads.”
Tenders for the Asphalt paving of 38 miles of primary roads in conformity with an internationally acceptable standard went out in October 2023.
Meanwhile, Premier and Minister of Finance Dr the Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7), who was on the sidelines of the event, said the commitment to fix the roads came in the Budget Speech and that financing will be secured via a bank loan.
Financing will come through loans - Premier
“Just to say, we did make a commitment in the Budget Speech… that we will be seeking loan financing... the banks would notice a request for proposal coming out shortly, probably within the next 2-3 weeks.
“The banks [will] put forward what the terms would be for that particular loan, and then of course we'll go from there in terms of the process of securing that loan. I did say in the budget speech that we'll be [borrowing] up to $100 million, and a major part of that money will be dedicated to fixing our infrastructure needs,” he added.
Some 38 miles of road repairs across the Virgin Islands were announced in 2023 under the Government of Premier Dr The Hon Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) after the Government received criticism from the public and Members of the Opposition on the state of VI's infrastructure.
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19 Responses to “Gov’t working to secure funding for 38 miles of roadworks– Hon Kye M. Rymer”
It is far more to the process of repairing our public roads than covering the existing structures with asphalt
Moreover, to enhance and improve the current state of the road network will require a new redesign, , construction, maintenance, repair, etc, philosophy, mindset, etc. What is needed in this new philosophy a) raising the subgrade out of water table, especially along the coast , and stabilizing it, b) improve quality of subbase, if used, c) improve quality of base, ensuring it is ‘ proof rolled’ tested before laying the surface course, ensuring surface course has the right proportion of ingredients, at right minimum temperature, etc. Further, a major cause of premature road failure is a) poor or no center line crown, b) poor cross slope of road ( typically 2%), c) poor drainage, ie, run-on, run-off, ponding, etc. ( attention must be paid to drainage off the roadway, and along the sides);d) eliminating or improving some horizontal and vertical curves, e) improving road signage and markings.
Roads are constructed with a design lifecycle; however, to attain that design lifecycle requires robust, religious, periodic maintenance, ie, crack sealing, seal coating, overlaying, minimizing cutting into road, conducting potholes and other repairs in a timely manner, maintaining drainage ditches along road sides. What will the foregoing provide for residents ?
Firstly, it will reduce vehicle owners operating cost and improved driving experience, reduce accidents, improve life of roads, reduce operating cost, reduce replacement cost, improve aesthetics, improve national image and visitor experience, improve residents quality of life and standard of living, etc. Clearly, this will require additional funding? How will it be funded?
Investing properly on roads is an investment which has huge return on investment. I’m making a BIG assumption that the territory has a relative low debt to GDP ratio probably under 20%.So the territory has the opportunity for prudent borrowing to fund roads and other major capital projects needs. Such a loan can be for a long term 20+ years with sunset clauses. Further, this suggestion will be controversial, ie, vehicle, equipment etc owners can be assessed a road tax.