The provincial government is reducing the amount it spends on roads, bridges and water and sewer, but it says it will get greater value for the money. However, the opposition sees things differently, calling it a “cutback.”
The province will spend $250-million on capital works this year, a reduction from the $340-million allocated by the previous Liberal administration.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Barry Petten says they are “right-sizing” the budget because they can only do so much with a limited number of contractors and paving companies in the province.
“When the former administration brought in a $1.4-billion roads plan, I applauded it but realistically we don’t have the capacity to be carrying out that much work. And when the commitment ends in 2028, there will be a huge drop-off. But we could never spend the full amount – it only looked good on paper,” said the minister.
Elvis Loveless (VOCM News)
Critic Elvis Loveless, who used to be minister of the department, is wondering what happened to the promise of safer communities by the PCs, because you don’t create safer communities by spending less on roads and bridges.
The twinning of the TCH from Bishop’s Falls to Grand Falls-Windsor and from Whitbourne westward will be done, but not through a P3 model. Completion of the Gushue Extension and upgrades to the lighting on the Outer Ring are also included in the plan.
