Residents renew call for Six Men’s, Shermans repairs

Frustrated residents of Six Men’s and Shermans are renewing calls for urgent infrastructure repairs, saying hazardous roads, persistent dust and unrepaired coastal damage from Hurricane Beryl are continuing to disrupt daily life in the St Peter communities.

One resident told Barbados TODAY that routine maintenance had ceased, leaving community members to take matters into their own hands.

“They used to send a truck  and wet the road and clean that dust, but they don’t do it no more,” the resident said. “The road is terrible. We have so many potholes down here… a young fella had to get some cement to carry and put in these potholes.”

Six roads residents say are affected by the heavy dust from a construction site nearby They are calling for the return of water trucks used to wash the streets to keep the dust down

Beyond the deteriorating road surfaces, coastal damage from Hurricane Beryl remains a pressing concern. According to the villagers, sea erosion and debris continue to impede access near the fish market, while local authorities have provided little more than temporary barriers.

“The last hurricane that came, they got the sea wall and they won’t fix it at all,” the resident noted, adding that the coastal area remains cluttered. “They got a set of planks out there, nothing else… blocking the road.” Sea water frequently surges onto the roadway, leaving behind sand and debris that goes uncleared because no maintenance crews are dispatched to clear the passage.

They also expressed frustration at what they regard as a lack of parliamentary representation, saying they have not seen MPs Colin Jordan and Peter Phillips in the area.

“You don’t see the MP at all,” the resident lamented, emphasising that neither representative had visited to see what the stretch looks like or address the ongoing structural threats.

Residents are urging officials to visit the area, clear the hazards and deliver the long-overdue road repairs.

Parts of road along Shermans St. Lucy still in dire need of repair Residents also complain of sand being washed onto the roadway

The Ministry of Transport and Works (MTW) recently announced that it would carry out road repairs, drainage work and other maintenance across several parishes, including St Peter, next week. Crews will also re-mark school crossings ahead of the new school year.

The road edge at Six Men’s, which was partially damaged during the hurricane’s passage two years ago, had undergone significant repairs. At the time, the then transport and works minister, Santia Bradshaw, said the work was 95 per cent complete.

Designs to repair the road at Shermans and Sand Street had already been approved. Officials said at the time that restoration at Shermans would require sheet piles, which could be installed by only one contractor in the country. Consequently, the start date depends on contractor availability, as several revetment and sea wall projects are under way across the island.

Efforts to reach Minister of Transport Kirk Humphrey for an update were unsuccessful. (RR)