Haiti, the third-largest Caribbean nation, relies heavily on road transport, yet its network faces poor accessibility and maintenance. During the rainy season, rural communities are often cut off from main roads, limiting access to vital services like healthcare, education and markets.

The new Saint-Michel de L'Attalaye Road Maintenance Centre, located in the Artibonite department, will support the daily maintenance and operation of road infrastructure in the region – strengthening community resilience and expanding economic opportunities.

“The construction of this new centre reflects the Ministry’s commitment to improving fleet maintenance across departments by providing a dedicated space for repairing and servicing the region’s road equipment,” said Raphaël Hosty, Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communications (MTPTC).

"The Saint-Michel de L'Attalaye Road Maintenance Center will enable us to ensure regular and efficient road maintenance, thus guaranteeing better accessibility to rural areas, an essential element for the sustainable development of our country," he added.

The Saint-Michel de L'Attalaye Road Maintenance Centre is part of the ‘Rural Accessibility and Resilience Project (PARR)’ – a World Bank-financed initiative implemented by UNOPS, in partnership with the government. The project aims to improve road networks across the South, South-East, Nippes, Centre and Artibonite departments. In addition to supporting the 2021 earthquake response, it included the stabilization of 130 kilometres of rural roads and the rehabilitation of more than 70 kilometres.

Building local capacity was an essential part of the project, which included training community members in construction techniques and local authorities in road maintenance.

“In that project, through targeted technical training, primarily aimed at women and young people, we strengthened the employability of beneficiaries and their contribution to field work,” added Dabagai Dabagai.

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