St Philip roads earmarked for repairs, resurfacing

After years of concerns over deteriorating road infrastructure, several roads in St Philip have been earmarked for repairs and resurfacing, with lighting also planned for some areas.

Minister of Transport and Works Kirk Humphrey made the announcement on Monday night during the St Philip Ideas Forum at the Princess Margaret Secondary School.

Residents raised concerns about several deteriorating roads, including Ebenezer, Marchfield, Mangrove, Train Road and Farm Road, while also highlighting flooding caused by uneven road surfaces near the Wynter Crawford Roundabout.

St Philip resident, Andrea Drayton. (Photo Credit: BT)

Resident Andrea Drayton called for Farm Road to be resurfaced, arguing that it could help to reduce congestion along routes into Six Roads.

“You find a lot of traffic is heavy coming into Six Roads from Congo Road, and if that Farm Road is well paved—right now it is horrible to drive on that road—so I’m thinking if Farm Road could be paved, it would help with the amount of traffic that is coming into Six Roads via Congo Road so that persons can also come into Six Roads.”

Resident Carl Padmore. (Photo Credit: BT)

Carl Padmore of Marchfield Village said the road has not undergone major resurfacing during his lifetime.

“I’m over 50, and for as long as I’ve been living in Marchfield, which is all my life, Marchfield Village Road has been untouched in terms of major paving. You would have a patch here and there, but anytime there’s heavy rain we would always find difficulty sometimes in passing that road, and by Marchfield Village Road—I’m speaking about the gap opposite Traynor Road that goes across to the Church of Christ church leading out to the four-cross, then going on to the upper part of Marchfield Village Road which people call Suckhole, going by the former attorney general’s house, coming around by Zion Pentecostal church and heading out to the market. That entire stretch is in serious need of road repair.”

Humphrey listed more than ten roads that have been allocated funding for resurfacing works, which he said would begin shortly.

“Steward Hill, Culpepper Development, Bottom Bay, Content, these are roads for which we have the resources to do. So this is not me bluffing you—Ocean City Main, Foul Bay Beach Road, Harmony Lodge, Atlantic Ridge, Halton to Ebenezer, Marchfield Village. And then there were some, then there were some major roads, what we call the CAF [Development Bank of Latin America] roads; we’re gonna do Woodbourne development and St Patrick’s to Charnocks.”

He said that while some roads were still awaiting final designs, most were ready to proceed.

“Those are roads that are due to be started very soon. We have — in most cases — designs for the road. There are a few where we’re waiting on designs, but St Philip can rest assured that those roads will be dealt with in the very near future.”

Resident Alan Hart raised safety concerns about the junction near St Philip Parish Church, which he believes has been the site of too many accidents.

“The issue obviously is that people approach that particular junction at speed they can’t see. I saw that there are some trees which we can clear. We can also widen that junction, we can put some lights, so we’re gonna make sure we prioritise that particular junction as well. As I said, roads are not only about moving people; they’re really about safety. So that is an issue for us, but I just saw the actual junction, so we’re gonna rectify that as well.”

Drayton also called for street lighting along Highway 5 from Sky Mall to Six Roads, saying poor visibility at night has forced her to take longer routes home:

“There are certain areas of that road that does not have any street lighting, especially where there is no housing, and I find it’s very difficult to travel on that road because of not having any street lighting. Most of the time I have to go to the airport or to come home.”

A technician with the Ministry of Transport and Works responded that solar lighting could be considered, depending on the availability of supplies.

(LG)