Works in 2500 projects unleashed

Aridi: $285 million public works projects to be accomplished within six weeks

The Minister of Public Works Ghazi Aridi announced the beginning of public works projects across the country. Following a meeting with contractor companies undertaking large-scale public works projects, Aridi said the works should be completed within six weeks.

Aridi attributed the holdup in the execution of the projects to the delayed formation of the new government. He said that the ministry took time to finalize agreements with the contractors on the costs of the projects so as to put up the budgets accordingly.

According to Aridi, the ministry is suffering a difficult administrative situation due to the insufficiency of staff along with the increase in the number of projects. “The Ministry is currently undertaking 2500 projects, and we still don’t have a Director General of Roads and Buildings,” Aridi said.

The minister said that LL195 billion ($126 million) are allocated for rehabilitating roads, and LL245 billion ($159 million) dedicated for implementing large-scale projects across all regions. He said, however, that the allocated funds would not be sufficient to cover the costs of all projects across the country.

Asked whether the contractors would raise the prices they’ve already demanded (due to the global prices’ hike), Aridi said that they have the right to claim higher costs through submitting a schedule comparing the previous prices to the new ones.

According to a ministry official, the ministry will work to complete the paper work and seal contracts during the next month and a half. “Once that is done, the contractors would start working on the projects,” he said.
The official said that the 2500 projects – which Aridi referred to- involve general maintenance works across the country, which are assigned to contractors directly by the ministry. “As for the large-scale works, they involve 40 projects, which have to pass through the Department of Tenders” he said. These projects include the rehabilitation of main roads and other restorations projects. The roads include some essential highways across all regions: Hazmieh -Daher el Baydar, Saida - Jbaa, Deir Ammar-Abboudieh, Baskinta - Karm el-Nahr, Maad - Deir el Ahmar, Jouar el-Haour - Kfar Selwan - Tarchich.

According to the official, the ministry will work on restoring the Justice Palace in Beirut, as well as finish the construction of the Justice Palace in Tripoli, and the Serail of Nabatieh.