The Government of Barbados will undertake a series of road improvement studies which will be financed with a loan of just over USD2 million from the locally based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB). The Bank's Board of Directors voted to provide Barbados with the loan during a meeting on October 17, 2013. The studies are aimed at enhancing the local Ministry of Transportation and Works' (MTW) capacity to prepare a technical and economically viable programme of capital works that will result in a more efficient and safer road network. Among the priority areas for the studies will be the upgrade of the Ronald Mapp Highway, a critical link in the country's road network; the replacement of bridges in the Scotland District, many of which are over 40 years old and have exceeded their design lives; and improving road safety on the country's roads. The main challenges facing the road sub-sector in Barbados are the capacity of the existing network to accommodate increasing traffic flows, the increasing maintenance burden on the MTW due to the aging infrastructure and the relatively high incidents of road accidents. Over the last three years it is estimated that the direct expenditure on capital works and maintenance of roads over the last three years in Barbados stands at USD99 million. Image Source: www.skyscrapercity.com