St Thomas folk decry ‘tremendous dislocation’ as roadworks close third major artery

Former St Thomas MP Cynthia Forde has warned that the closure of a third major road artery in the parish has left residents funnelled onto unlit, unsafe back roads such as Jack-in-the-Box Gully and Hangman’s Hill, as Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw conceded the parish had been “neglected for many many many years”.

Forde raised concerns about the protracted parish roadworks during the Ideas Forum at the Alexandra School in Speightstown, St Peter on Wednesday night. 

“Two major road arteries in St Thomas were closed. Now there is a third and the dislocation is tremendous,” Forde said, highlighting the strain placed on residents trying to move through the parish.

Motorists were often forced to use routes such as Jack-in-the-Box Gully and Hangman’s Hill, describing them as unsafe, particularly at night, she said. 

“I go nowhere at night because I am afraid of what might happen,” she said, calling for improved lighting along those roads to reduce the risk to drivers.

Forde, who represented the parish for decades before resigning earlier this year, also raised concerns about the condition of the road surfaces, saying potholes and uneven terrain were damaging vehicles and adding to the frustration.

“The vehicles are falling into big holes, I call them craters now, and every day it is some complaint.”

She further criticised what she described as poor communication with residents, noting that closures often happened without sufficient notice, and urged the authorities to engage more directly with affected communities.

The former MP also highlighted long-standing issues along Vaucluse Road, which she described as a dumping ground, raising both environmental and safety concerns. She pointed out that the area’s isolation had contributed to serious incidents in the past and said the situation remained unresolved despite repeated appeals.

Responding during the forum, Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw acknowledged the concerns and acknowledged that St Thomas had faced long-standing infrastructure challenges.

“I perhaps would have to say that she’s correct in the sense that St Thomas had been neglected for many many many years, especially as it related to road infrastructure,” said Bradshaw, who served as minister of transport and works in the previous administration.

She pointed to a number of projects undertaken in recent years, including work on Cane Garden to Bridgefield Road, Shop Hill Road and Prior Park, but said progress had been slowed by the complexity of the works and coordination challenges with utility companies.

“One of the biggest challenges has been the coordination with the utilities. St Thomas roads are no different to the rest of the island in relation to very old mains, water mains which have been there for over a hundred years,” she said.

Bradshaw noted that this had resulted in repeated delays, with some projects starting and stopping over time as issues were uncovered. “There has been a start and stop over the last few years in relation to those two projects because of the complexity,” she said.

She also acknowledged that communication with residents could be improved, particularly given the scale of the works under way.

The deputy prime minister said the scope of the programme, combined with limited contractor capacity and difficult terrain in some areas, had made execution challenging, noting that the government was effectively playing catch-up after years of underinvestment.

While expressing regret for the level of disruption, she said efforts were being made to address both major roadworks and smaller repairs, including the introduction of pothole-patching machines and the use of alternative routes to ease traffic flow.

“We regret that the inconvenience has been so great to the people of the parish of St Thomas, but we are starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Bradshaw said, further giving the assurance that communication would be strengthened as work continued.

 

(SM)