Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed that nationwide road repair and rehabilitation projects are advancing at a consistent pace, with major improvements to key corridors projected to be nearly finished within just a few months. Speaking in response to a parliamentary query about the current status of infrastructure upgrades, Browne addressed the long-term nature of overhauling the country’s entire road network, while updating lawmakers on tangible progress already delivered.
The prime minister stressed the sheer scale of the undertaking: with thousands of miles of public roads spanning Antigua and Barbuda, fully resolving longstanding infrastructure issues will require multiple years of sustained investment and work. Even so, he emphasized that ongoing projects on two critical routes, All Saints Road and the Sir Sydney Walling Highway, are already delivering visible results for residents and motorists.
A key strategic decision that has driven successful outcomes on these projects, Browne explained, was the government’s choice to assign work to the local Public Works Department rather than outsourcing the contract to an outside private firm. The prime minister praised the department’s performance, noting that its work has not only met quality standards but also delivered major cost savings for public coffers.
For the 13-mile stretch of road leading to English Harbour, for example, Browne revealed that the Public Works Department is completing the rehabilitation for less than half of the price quoted by a Canadian contracting firm that initially bid on the project. This cost-effective model has allowed the government to stretch infrastructure funding further and advance more repairs than would have been possible under an external contract.
While Browne declined to share a precise final completion date for the ongoing key projects, he told Parliament that current progress puts the work on track to see substantial, near-completion gains within the next two to three months. Road network rehabilitation remains a top infrastructure priority for the Browne administration, which continues to allocate funding and resources to upgrade roads across both islands of the nation.