Govt Slammed Over Roadworks That Go On And On

The Director of Audit has taken Highways Department officials to task, saying an overwhelming majority of roadworks are extended beyond their original completion date, adding to traffic congestion in the city.

The auditor said even though there's been a drop in the total number of roadworks – from almost 13,300 projects in 2010 to just 8,900 in 2016 – there has been a 78 percent surge in the number of extensions granted.

The average extension period also increased by 90 percent from 48 days to 91 days during the same period.

In one case, an excavation project by the Water Supplies Department was extended by 502 days.

The auditor added that there has also been an increase in the number of substandard reinstatement works conducted by contractors.

And to make matters worse, of the almost 6,800 rejected reinstatement works as of December 2017, 38 percent had remained outstanding for over two years.

The spending watchdog said that's unacceptable because it puts the safety of road users at risk.

The Audit Commission called on the Highways Department to actively step up inspections to make sure that the substandard works are being rectified in a proper and timely fashion.

The department said it agrees with the auditor's findings.