Despite efforts by the government to effect repairs on some of the island’s roads, there is still much disgruntlement among the motoring public about the conditions of the road networks.
Nonetheless, the Ministry of Infrastructure has assured road users that they are moving as speedily as possible to manage the road repairs amidst some unpredictable weather patterns.
And now, a former government minister has stated this is the ‘worst condition’ that Saint Lucia’s roads have been in a long time.
At a media briefing, Thursday, former Economic Development Minister Guy Joseph took the government to task for what he claimed is a travesty of the road maintenance works undertaken in the country.
Noting that there were two former Ministers of Infrastrucre in the current government, Joseph feels more should have been done to alleviate the plight of motorists and other road users on the island.
“The roads are the worse I can remember them being in the history of Saint Lucia,” Joseph told reporters.
He added, ““I may not remember how the roads were in the seventies and back then … (since) not all the roads were up to the standard that they are.”
Vice President of the National Council on Public Transportation (NCOPT) Kentry Frederick has also taken umbrage with some of the existing road conditions, stating that the situation is causing a ‘wear and tear’ on minibus drivers’ vehicles.
Frederick told reporters that the members are being ‘severely affected’ by existing poor road conditions.
The NCOPT official noted that while the Ministry of Infrastructure has been assessing the situation, there are certain areas that are impassable and create a dilemma for drivers.
He mentioned the Monchy region, where a bridge has been damaged “and there’s another area in Grande Riviere, Corinth, which was severely affected by the flood.”
Frederick recalled that last November’s heavy rains, which weather experts indicated was due to an upper-level trough, caused widespread flooding and landslides within Saint Lucia’s northern communities.
“These areas put a serious strain on the Ministry of Infrastructure and that threw off the maintenance of a lot of areas,” Frederick said in a recent interview.
He added that, “on any given day you get complaints of a dented rim, a cut tyre.”
NCOPT President Godfrey Ferdinand, also spoke of the situation on the Canaries to Soufriere stretch, which he described as a disaster waiting to happen.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ports, Transport, Physical Development and Urban Renewal has responded to concerns over the pothole-filled roads in the country.
Miguel Fevrier, Communications Officer at the Ministry noted that, “There is little to no room for error when traversing those roads. The vehicles get damaged after going through potholes. There is poor visibility, especially when it rains, and it is almost impossible to see those potholes.”
He said the Ministry diverted from its intended plans, since weather issues caused disruptions and delays and the work crew had to re-adjust the road works.
However, Fevrier disclosed that the Ministry would be conducting maintenance and potholing work on the West Coast starting Monday, including the Massy-Cul de Sac area, which he acknowledged was in a ‘terrible condition.’
He also provided a list of road maintenance and potholing work crews have been done so far this year, which included the Julian Hunte Highway: from Choc to Pigeon Point & Cap Estate Gate (Gros Islet to Cap Rehabilitation is currently ongoing); Vieux Sucrieux, Monchy-Desrameaux-Riviere Mitant (Riviere Mitant Bridge currently under construction); Corinth Bypass and other areas in the north.
Fevrier stated that road repairs were also undertaken at strategic locations in the southern district.
He disclosed that the Ministry will be putting out a weekly potholing and road maintenance works schedule, and assured the public that crews would get to areas needing attention as the weeks go by.
“Our potholing teams, our road maintenance teams, have been working overtime,” Fevrier told reporters. He said crews have been working on Saturdays and Sundays in some areas.
Fevrier said despite the challenges, the crew is looking to step up their efforts, and “this may be a reason for the delay coupled with the inconsistent weather.”
[R.A].