Hurricane Beryl road damage repair nears completion in coastal village

Repairs to road damage caused by Hurricane Beryl in the West Coast village of Six Men’s, St Peter, are 95 per cent complete, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Works, Santia Bradshaw, announced during a site visit on Wednesday.

The restoration project, which includes enhanced road stability and coastal protection measures, has been designed to provide safe access for both road users and local fisherfolk who haul their boats in the area, according to a government release.

“We had to strike the balance between the fishing community who needs to obviously have access to the beach to be able to continue to earn a living,” Bradshaw said.

She added: “It’s no mystery that they have been severely impacted by the effects of the last system and are still recovering.”

The repair work, which began in December, utilises a mass gravity-retaining concrete system comprising interlocking “Lego” blocks and boulders. This innovative approach was chosen after careful consideration of various options by the supervisory engineering team from Professional Engineering Services Limited (PESL), in consultation with the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Coastal Zone Management Unit.

Darius Cumberbatch, the supervisory engineer on the project from PESL, explained the rationale behind the chosen solution: “This is a long-term solution; the blocks weigh just about one tonne or more . . . . You arrange them in a matrix to provide stability and protection against wave action.”

Cumberbatch emphasised that while the design would not prevent waves from overtopping the road entirely, it would “protect the road edge from being eroded or damaged during high wave action.”

In addition to rebuilding the road edge, a sidewalk has been added to facilitate pedestrian access and boat hauling. Bradshaw expressed optimism that reopening the road would help stimulate economic activity for local businesses, despite ongoing improvements to some coastal structures.

The ministry has also approved designs for similar restoration projects at Sand Street in St Peter and Shermans in St Lucy, both of which sustained damage during Hurricane Beryl. Work on Sand Street is slated to commence next, while the Shermans project awaits contractor availability due to its specialised requirements.

Minor repairs to a headwall and culvert near the restored road edge at Six Men’s are expected to be completed within three days, weather permitting.

(MTW/BT)