As Antigua and Barbuda prepares to welcome global leaders for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) kicking off on November 1, the national government has ramped up its infrastructure upgrade efforts by rolling out an accelerated road repair programme. Public works teams across the twin-island nation will shift to a six-day working week, with mandatory additional overtime, to meet the tight one-month deadline for finishing priority infrastructure projects ahead of the high-profile international gathering.
Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, announced the details of the intensified initiative during a public briefing on Thursday, confirming that priority will be given to roadway networks surrounding key meeting venues and along the primary travel routes expected to be used by visiting international delegations. Last Wednesday, a full senior leadership delegation from the Ministry of Works, including Director of Works Collis King, Junior Works Minister Senator Shanella Govia, Permanent Secretary Sandra Joseph, and Deputy Director Telly Cornelius, presented the full scope of required work to the national Cabinet to secure approval for additional resources.
Following the presentation, Cabinet signed off on requests to immediately source extra construction equipment and stockpile all necessary raw construction materials, clearing the way for work to accelerate across all priority zones. Addressing pre-existing disruptions to road projects that were stalled due to critical material shortages, Merchant noted that the new supply security framework will allow the ministry to restart paused work in affected communities.
Collis King, Director of Works, confirmed that the adjusted six-day work schedule with extended overtime hours will apply to all field crews to keep the programme on track. The first phase of upgrades is laser-focused on roads close to core meeting venues and the primary visitor routes, per Merchant. Once these high-priority works are completed, the programme will expand island-wide, reaching communities that have long struggled with severe roadway degradation.
Unlike full-scale roadway reconstruction projects, this accelerated initiative focuses on high-impact, quick-turnaround improvements including resurfacing, milling, edge cutting, and patching to deliver safe, smooth travel routes before the summit. Work has already launched along the Hodges Bay-Sunsail corridor leading to Anchorage, with similar upgrades underway across other priority routes. Active construction is also continuing in the popular English Harbour and Dockyard region.
In the capital city of St. John’s, drainage upgrades near the Performing Arts Centre are already 80 percent complete. Once drainage work is finalized, crews will immediately move forward with resurfacing works on High Street, one of the capital’s busiest central thoroughfares.
To back the expanded programme, the national government has allocated an additional EC$20 million to the Ministry of Works. Merchant confirmed that this funding is drawn from an EC$87 million financing package recently negotiated with a consortium of local commercial banks.
Notably, the government emphasizes that this intensified infrastructure push is not a short-term fix solely for the CHOGM event. Cabinet has outlined long-term plans to retain the newly acquired equipment, roll out enhanced operational planning, provide specialized staff training, and strengthen management frameworks to boost the Ministry of Works’ ongoing capacity to deliver road projects across the country for years to come.