Residents and commuters travelling between Mahdia and Campbelltown, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) are expected to benefit from improved road access as Region Eight’s newly acquired motor grader has commenced rehabilitation works on the key roadway. According to the Local Government Ministry, the motor grader has begun its maiden operation to restore the road, which has deteriorated over time, particularly during the rainy season. Regional Executive Officer (REO) Marti De Souza said the rehabilitation fulfils a commitment he made to residents two months ago after concerns were raised about the condition of the roadway.

The works include grading the road surface and reshaping the roadway to eliminate potholes and improve accessibility for motorists and other road users. De Souza said the project marks the beginning of a broader programme to improve access roads across Region Eight, with additional communities expected to benefit through increased Government funding for the maintenance of community roads and bridges. The expanded investment follows the recently concluded National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, where the Government announced that each of Region Eight’s 31 Amerindian villages, through their Community Development Councils (CDCs), will receive $30 million for road and bridge maintenance. The allocation represents a significant increase from the previous $5 million provided to each community. In a video shared last Friday on the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) Region Eight Facebook page, De Souza said the initiative will inject more than $900 million directly into communities across the region while strengthening their ability to manage and maintain local infrastructure. “The communities are now given the capacity to do repairs to their own roads and bridges. That’s $30 million to 31 communities. That works out to more than $900 million circulating right within our very own region,” the REO said. He noted that the programme comes at an important time following the recent rainy season, when several communities required emergency repairs to damaged roads and bridges. By placing resources directly into the hands of village leaders, communities will be able to respond more quickly to infrastructure needs and oversee projects at the local level.

To support the initiative, the Ministry of Public Works will deploy five pieces of heavy-duty equipment to each cluster of villages. The equipment will include bulldozers, graders, dump trucks, rollers and backhoes to strengthen the region’s capacity to maintain and rehabilitate community infrastructure. The programme also includes a training component aimed at building local capacity. Ten young people from each cluster will receive specialised training to operate the equipment, creating employment opportunities while ensuring the machinery is managed and maintained within the communities. “We will now be empowering our very own young people right within the communities, and the monies will be circulating within the communities also. Communities will now take ownership of the machinery and take ownership of the work that they are doing to improve access on the roadways and the bridges,” De Souza said. Meanwhile, the REO urged motorists to exercise caution while travelling along the rehabilitated Mahdia-Campbelltown Road, particularly as the dry season approaches. He appealed to drivers to reduce their speed and be mindful of residents and businesses along the route, noting that the improved road surface may generate dust.