#BTEditorial – What of the unfinished Ronald Mapp highway?

The recent news of a major road works programme to upgrade the Highway 1 stretch along the West Coast is great news.

Minister of Transport, Works and Water Resources Ian Gooding-Edghill spoke at length about the $15.2 million project which is set to start next week. It is the first time in 20 years for such a road programme and it will also see water mains of more than 100 years old being upgraded.

The minister said: “For the first time in 20 years, those who have to traverse that road, the highway, will be realizing the benefits of their Government hard at work at improving the infrastructure of Barbados. For a very long time we have had major disruptions as it relates to the supply of water because as you appreciate, mains have been there for in excess of 100 years.”

There is no doubt taxpayers like to see the fruits of their labour by way of capital works projects. They also like to benefit from the positive gains that such a project will yield. Projects like this mean more jobs at a time when we are facing 50 000-plus unemployment figures.

But while the timing may appear perfect given the fact that there is some downtime for the numerous tourism establishments on the West Coast, of concern to us is the fact that the roadworks project on the Ronald Mapp Highway is still not concluded.

It is no secret that when one wants to get to the north of the island you either travel on Highway 1 or the Ronald Mapp Highway, regularly referred to as Highway 2. There are no other options short of travelling all the way to St Andrew and then scaling Farley Hill.

The Highway 1 project, like all other roadworks, will cause disruption to residents, businesses and commuters. That is a given.

Mr. Gooding-Edghill while speaking on the floor of Parliament yesterday reassured all concerned that he will try to minimise disruption, communicate when necessary and listen to the concerns of all.

But that said we all know things happen which are beyond our control.

Of concern to us is the likelihood of immense traffic congestion on Highway 1 compounded by the fact that if motorists divert on to the Ronald Mapp Highway, they may face the same fate.

This could be a recipe for disaster for residents in St James, St Peter and St Lucy. These areas are now more heavily populated than before. Many of the parishes have housing developments. There are thousands who drive and on the other hand thousands who depend on public transport as well.

To date, there has been much progress made resurfacing the Ronald Mapp Highway. However, there seems to be a snag, hiccup or hold-up. For over six or more weeks now the project has been stuck at White Hall, St Peter.

Having completed the majority of the work, it seems as though finishing the stretch of road between White Hall, St Peter and the junction at Mile-And-A-Quarter is proving to be a challenge.

The most recent work done, by the construction company Infra, was to dig up a large portion of the area they had recently paved in order to repave it. This came about due to heavy rains in the north which destroyed the road which was paved just weeks prior.

And while we are talking about the Ronald Mapp Highway, we must remind the powers that be it remains the only major highway in Barbados without street lights along the entire stretch.

It becomes extremely dangerous traversing the highway after you pass the Bakers, St Peter community. There are no lights, no houses, no community on the highway from there to White Hall which is a lengthy stretch of road.

So, while we thank Government for news of the million-dollar upgrade, we are asking them to give some attention to the completion and lighting of the Ronald Mapp Highway.

We believe that the Ronald Mapp Highway must be completed post-haste. This is the only way to ensure some semblance of normalcy as it relates to the traffic flow to and from the north of the island.

We recall the upgrade of the stretch of road on Black Rock, St Michael some years back and the major headache caused for residents and businesses alike. There were delays. We hope that Government has taken lessons from that exercise given the fact that Highway 1 is just as frequented as Black Rock Main Road.

Minister Gooding-Edghill also said that a number of contractors will be involved in the Highway 1 project. And we welcome this news too. But we hope that the quality of work is up to par given what transpired recently on the Ronald Mapp Highway.

When our taxes are being spent, the only thing we wish is that they are spent wisely. If a road is paved and can be so badly damaged just weeks later by rain, as was the case at White Hall, then questions must be asked. Someone must be held accountable.

Contractors cannot be allowed to get away with shoddy work, especially when millions of taxpayers’ dollars are being spent.