Prime Minister Gaston Browne has raised concerns about the quality of roadworks completed by C.O. Williams, saying defects identified by the Public Works Department must be corrected by the contractor at no additional cost to the government.

Speaking Saturday on the Browne and Browne Show, Browne responded to complaints about sections of recently paved roads that have deteriorated or required further work.

He said C.O. Williams secured the contract through a competitive tender process connected to approximately $100 million in financing from the Caribbean Development Bank.

“It’s not a case that we entered into bilateral relations with C.O. Williams and gave him the job,” Browne said. “Whenever we borrow from the Caribbean Development Bank, we have to go to tender, and C.O. Williams won the tender.”

The prime minister acknowledged that the level of rutting observed on some roads during the paving programme was a serious concern.

“I have to admit the amount of rutting that has taken place during the repaving of these recent roads is a serious cause for concern,” Browne said.

He said Public Works officials identified the defects and instructed the contractor to redo the affected sections.

Browne stressed that Public Works was not repairing the contractor’s work using additional public funds.

“It is C.O. Williams who, having had instructions from Public Works that the roads were not properly paved, would have had to redo them at their own expense,” he said.

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: PM Browne Says C.O. Williams Must Correct Defective Roadworks at Its Own Expense.