The government is introducing a team of infrastructure zone inspectors to improve road maintenance and ensure timely repairs across Antigua and Barbuda.
Announced by Housing Minister Maria Browne during the 2025 Budget Debate, this initiative aims to enhance efficiency by monitoring roads, bridges, drains, and other infrastructure on a zonal basis.
“These zone inspectors will be our eyes on the ground, proactively identifying issues before they escalate,” Minister Browne said. “This approach will streamline our maintenance efforts and reduce the burden on our engineers, allowing them to focus on designing and implementing solutions.”
Under the new system, Antigua and Barbuda will be divided into five or six zones, each assigned a dedicated inspector. These inspectors will report directly to the Ministry of Works, logging issues such as potholes, damaged bridges, and blocked drains. Reports will then be prioritized and scheduled for repair.
“This structured approach ensures no area is overlooked and that resources are deployed where they’re needed most,” Browne explained. “The inspectors will work closely with the newly enhanced road repair teams and the upcoming reporting app to create a comprehensive system for addressing infrastructure concerns.”
The minister emphasized that the zone inspectors are part of the government’s commitment to modernizing public infrastructure and delivering tangible results.
She added that their work will be vital in supporting the government’s road rehabilitation projects, which include addressing long-neglected community roads and upgrading main arteries.
The program is set to launch in 2025 and is expected to complement other infrastructure initiatives, including the rollout of a mobile app for reporting road issues and the acquisition of new roadwork equipment.
“This is a forward-thinking strategy to improve our nation’s infrastructure and respond more effectively to the needs of our citizens,” Browne concluded. “We’re focused on solutions that make a real difference in the lives of the people of Antigua and Barbuda.”
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I appreciate this, it’s a step in the right direction. However, I think we could have gone one step further and establish Parish Councils who are responsible for zones, and their job would be more than jsut looking at roads, but would be responsible for the over all community upkeep. So if a read has deteriorated, they will deal with that, if there’s overgrown bushes, they will deal with that, if there’s a broken water line, they’ll deal with that, if there’s some mechanic using the gov’t road as his workshop, they will deal with that.
We make council members have powers to act for he best interest of the ppl, and the council is allocated a realistic budget to get thigns done in the communities.
It can be done, and you’ll be surprised as to how much load is taken off of the central government, who can now deal with national issues.
A possible solution to select council members is perhaps by an election, so that we don’t have a situation where the council members believe that they owe any allegiance to any political party, for their allegiance is to the communities that they serve. Council members can be nominated to serve in the communities that they reside in.
I’m jsut throwing this out there, and I guess others can follow up, and put meat on the bones of this to make it a reality.
This is my there cents on this suggestion
You need road inspectors to see the big holes in the road…in the middle of town? None a them ministers ever drive on Redcliffe Street? Mrs Browne never pass by wireless road during the past year? Just hiring more people to do the same work that somebody else is not doing?
Just another layer of bureaucracy. Departments which handles such inspections should already be embedded in the DCA, Public Works and Sanitation. More bureaucracy does not equates to accountability in this case. It stagnates it because the present departments which are responsible should always have DAILY SITE REPORTS and present them at weekly or biweekly PROGRESS MEETINGS.
While ‘trial & error’ will solve some problems; yet, the ‘proven method’ MUST be used, in particular when dealing with long term INFRASTRUCTURAL PLANNING.
Maria nah ready yet. She still has her training wheels on her tricycle.
Ras Smood aka Jumbee_Picknee
De’ole Dutty Peg🦉Garrat_Bastard
Vere C. Edwards