In roadside interviews with The Nassau Guardian, motorists said that large potholes that riddle the island’s streets are making their commutes difficult. “I feel sick and tired of this. Dropping in a hole everyday is sickening and I feel as though the government is really neglecting their responsibilities in taking care of the roads and ensuring that we have appropriate streets to drive on,” said an angry motorist. “The surfaces of the road are uneven and the potholes which keep appearing, are not being filled beyond the surface. This madness has to stop.” Another motorist pointed out that the pothole problem seems to “get worse” every time it rains.
“I noticed that the situation is worse when it rains. Some of them are so big, you can bury a dog in them,” said Jeremy Bowe. “I’ve seen cars get stuck in the potholes, causing near-collisions with other cars following behind.”
Other drivers expressed their anger at the government. “I am furious with the Ministry of Works over the state of our streets here in New Providence,” said a female motorist. “I have a new car and I can’t even drive a quarter mile, without dropping into a pothole.
She added that the government needed to take action and stop “using [road repair] as an election campaign tool.”
“The roads don’t need to be fixed only when it’s election time. They should be fixed all the time,” she explained. “When our vehicles are destroyed we are responsible for them. We can’t go to the government and ask them to fix our cars.” The Guardian attempted to contact officials at the Department of Public Works but Director Melanie Roach said she was “unprepared to comment on the matter.” In June of this year, Ms Roach returned to the post after spending almost three years in the private sector. At the time, she said the Works Ministry had a “whole myriad of projects that need top priority attention.” “We do not undertake the large projects to the exclusion of the smaller ones.
There are still potholes to be fixed [and] sidewalks to be built,” she said in June.
On Monday morning, The Guardian witnessed workers patching deep and wide potholes on Wulff Road.
There are also reports of roadwork being done on other streets in New Providence.
Just last month the government signed a $5.26 million contract with Basil Neymour Construction Company Limited, to provide better roads for residents of East Grand Bahama.
It is expected that the works will be carried out in three phases. Phase I will address the roads in East Grand Bahama, Phase II will deal with the various seawalls and Phase III will address roadworks in West Grand Bahama.
During the passage of Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne last year, the roads and seawalls sustained extensive damages.
By: JASMIN BONIMY, The Nassau Guardian
