Updated

The city of Nassau in the Bahamas is getting a facelift after years of neglect.

Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham says a slew of public works projects to improve streets, sewers, courthouses, hospitals and markets is under way in the capital of the vast archipelago east of Florida.

Ingraham says the various projects will improve quality of life for the roughly 250,000 inhabitants of the island of New Providence, where Nassau is located. He says the capital's current condition is "unbecoming," especially since it is the island chain's biggest tourism center.

The prime minister said in a statement issued Tuesday that the restoration "is critical to ensuring continued growth."