Minister of Transport and Works (MTW) Michael Lashley has assured residents of St Sylvan’s Hill, St Joseph, that the caved-in road at Dark Hole is getting the attention of Government engineers.
He said his technical team were working on a solution, and that an agreement for CDB improvement in road projects in that area, and also a bridge project was signed off. We are not turning a blind eye to what is happening in Dark Hole,” he said during a press conference at the start of roadworks at Flagstaff Road, St Michael yesterday.
Last weekend, a portion of the St Joseph road collapsed into the nearby gully and caused the major vehicular artery to be closed.
“As soon as it happened the Sunday, I got a call from my technical team and they were on the ground. It will take some time. It is not an easy fix because that is the Scotland District area, so we have to pay close attention to it,” he said.
Lashley said based on reports from the engineers, they had to handle the situation very carefully.
“Of course I want to assure the residents we will find a solution for them. We are not neglecting the people in that area. My technical team is on it, and we’re constantly doing work in that area,” he said.
The minister noted that the pothole patching programme across the island had resumed in earnest after both the construction companies and the asphalt plant had been closed for the Christmas holiday.
“We’re back out in full steam, and if you go over to Rising Sun, you will see we just patched roads out there, and we’re continuing. We’re not sitting back and saying we cannot handle it; we’re doing what is necessary and within our financial constraints,” he said.
The minister added that if citizens wanted to take the initiative and patch their own roads, he would not stop them as long as it was kept within the standard of the MTW.
His comments came after residents of Corbin’s Road, Clarke’s Gap, Ashton Hall last week patched the potholes in their area with concrete.
“I wouldn’t stop anybody from doing it, but my technical team will still have to go and make sure that they fit within the standards that we’re accustomed to at MTW. If someone suffered an inconvenience I wouldn’t go and stop them and say you shouldn’t do it,” he said.
However, Lashley noted that while they had constructed concrete roads in the past, they were currently looking at other alternatives.
“Only recently, an individual came to us with a material . . . . I think it is some adhesive that he got from overseas. We tried it on a couple of roads and it worked well, so I am open to alternatives apart from using asphalt and concrete and using other materials,” he said.
In relation to the high cost of road tax, the minister said he was open to all ideas on dealing with the issue.
“We’ve had discussions on it, and you know there are alternatives to road tax. I know there is some research in my ministry on it, but we have not completed that research so far,” he said adding that the ministry was also looking to do research on other methods for road maintenance and road rehabilitation. (RA)