The transportation minister gave updates yesterday on some major road work while revealing the pot of money available for this year’s projects.

John Abbott told the Heavy Civil Association’s AGM yesterday that a minimum of $250 million is on the table to get ‘er done.

That includes completion of the Galway/TCH interchange, and the decades-long delayed Team Gushue Highway.

Abbott says various projects along Pitts Memorial Drive will also clue up this year, with the street lights expected back on by May.

“We’re working with Newfoundland Power to put in a utility line that will connect up the new lighting system,” he said. “Once that’s done, with a few other lighting fixtures, that’ll take another month or two before that’s done. We’re going to continue with the viaduct work this summer and them probably repaved in the following year.”

The minimum $250 million for projects this year is part of a five-year, $1.4 billion plan for highways in the province.

Positive Reaction from HCA

Meanwhile, the association that represents the big road builders in the province is applauding this year’s construction plan, as well as government’s longer term vision.

Heavy Civil Association executive director Jim Organ points to last year’s historic change to a five-year promise of funding that allows his members to better plan for the season.

“The contractors didn’t know from one year to the next what was going to happen whether it was going to be $160 million or $180 million or whatever,” he said. “So from a planning point of view, to get a commitment last year for five years, $1.4 billion, contractors can now dig in. They can decide how much equipment they need to buy, if they need new premises, they can staff up, they can get their people trained, and they know that the longevity is there and they can count on that for the next three, or four or five years.”

A minimum of $250 million is in the pot for this year’s projects, which will see tenders invited between now and May.