Bermuda’s uneven and pothole-riddled roads could be repaved using recently purchased equipment within three to five years, the public works minister said.

The Government procured an asphalt paver, a milling machine and a material transfer vehicle in May. Jaché Adams said repaving teams had worked “consistently” since late June, with certain jobs starting earlier.

Workers have used the new equipment to repave 2.5 kilometres since June, but output should significantly increase once the new asphalt plant comes into operation early next year.

Speaking with The Royal Gazette this week, Mr Adams explained: “With the new plant, we believe and expect it to triple or even quadruple our daily output.

“The new equipment allows us to move faster and more efficiently, but that does not negate the fact that a significant limitation to our capacity and output is that we are still operating with an old asphalt plant that we have tempered while we wait for a new plant to be erected. We expect it to be fully erected by the first quarter of 2026.

“The existing plant is all we have, so we want to ensure that it continues to work while we await the new plant to arrive. We don’t want to overextend its capabilities and cause it to break down and then we don’t have any asphalt plant.

“The plant creates the asphalt that we transport to the paving team to do the paving work.

“At its current pace, we can do about six kilometres annually. When the new plant arrives, we fully expect to be able to quadruple the output.”

The ministry explained that the asphalt plant only operated four days a week, closing on the fifth day for maintenance.

It can operate five days a week once the new plant comes online.

Mr Adams explained that works have predominantly focused on smaller, less direct roads, meaning the material transfer vehicle, known as the shuttle buggy, has not been in operation since it was purchased.

After the completion of a stretch of road in Warwick, the plan is to put the buggy into action.

“The shuttle buggy is designed to assist us in long stretches because it will allow us to work at an even better pace,” Mr Adams explained.

“We have been using the paving and the miller, but when we get to a longer stretch, that is an opportune time for us to use the shuttle buggy to complete the works at a much faster rate.”

Mr Adams said the shuttle buggy could permit paving at night when the roads were much quieter — although the move would have to be discussed first with workers and potentially the community.

He added: “It is an option but it is premature to say it is something we are doing.”

Mr Adams said that work had been completed in St George’s, ending at Ferry Reach.

Teams have since commenced on North Shore Road in Hamilton Parish, near Bethel Church, going towards Flatts.

Some work had to pause for a wall that would not have withstood milling work to be reinforced — which is likely to be completed by next week.

Heavy rain and hurricanes delayed other work but Mr Adams said: “We have now recommenced and are focused on getting the job done.”

Another stretch in Smith’s, from Whitney Institute to Store Hill, is expected to be finished later this month or early in November.

Work is recommencing on Middle Road, Warwick, near Longford Hill, with teams to work towards Lighthouse Hill, near the Southampton Princess Hotel.

An assessment will follow and the shuttle buggy will hopefully start work.

Mr Adams said “myriad” factors, from utility trenching to the urgency of the job, went into planning paving work.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the previous public works minister, said that it would cost approximately $100 million to repave across the island.

Mr Adams said that while that was a “back-of-the-envelope figure”, resurfacing all the island’s approximately 200 kilometres of public roads, at about $500,000 per kilometre, would likely put the final cost in that region.

He added: “At some point, we will need that, because everything has a life cycle.

“The vast majority of that cost comes from the materials, aggregate, bitumen, importation … that is the major cost, and that doesn’t change.”

Mr Adams said he was satisfied with the progress, which made roads more enjoyable to drive but, most importantly, safer — with safety being “our primary objective”.