£8 million spent so far on our roads

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 Thursday, May 24, 2018 - 17:19

The Government has so far invested £8 million in roads all over Gibraltar. This investment will continue going forward into the future.

It is true to say that our roads are subject to considerable wear and tear by thousands of locally registered vehicles. In addition to this, there are some 7000 additional vehicles who enter Gibraltar through the land frontier on a daily basis.

A Government statement adds: There is considerable construction and development in Gibraltar which leads to the presence on our roads of heavy goods vehicles, construction lorries and cranes. The weight of these vehicles logically increases the degree of wear and tear on the road surface.

This is not unique to this time or indeed to this Government. The same problem has occurred under different administrations. There is a need to coordinate major resurfacing works with new development projects so that newly laid roads are not then dug up to lay services for new developments within weeks of having been resurfaced.

The “pilot” roundabout at Glacis Road, for example, has exceeded all expectations. It is still a temporary structure even though it has worked. The reason that it remains in this temporary state is because it would be a waste of taxpayers money to resurface and construct an expensive feature which would then unfortunately be short-lived until the construction phase of the neighbouring development is complete.

There is therefore a direct link between road resurfacing and development projects.

“Over the last few years, a huge proportion of this construction has been private sector led. This is a reflection of the high degree of confidence that exists in our economy and the demand that continues to exist for residential and commercial premises. The Government regrets the inconvenience that potholes may cause to road users in the meantime but to a degree Gibraltar has become a victim of its own success,” the statement ends.

24-05-18 PANORAMAdailyGIBRALTAR