The Tribune

By RICARDO WELLS

RESIDENTS of the Montagu constituency are alarmed by the lack of a response by Ministry of Works to hazardous potholes in the area.

Motorists that use Village Road and East Bay Street as a part of their daily commute complained about several dangerous holes that need immediate attention and if not repaired quickly can cause a number of traffic issues.

When contacted for comment, Montagu MP Richard Lightbourn told The Tribune that he has been made aware of the poor road conditions and has on a number of occasions contacted Ministry of Works officials concerning the issue.

“I have made a number of representations on behalf of the residents in that area concerning the potholes, in particular two on Village Road, that are really dangerous to persons driving in that area,” Mr Lightbourn said.

“Usually there is a fast response to resolve these types of issues. I was in contact with the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Works (over) the last couple of weeks trying to correct the matter,” Mr Lightbourn added.

Former Minister of Works Neko Grant suggested that poor road conditions like the ones in the Montagu area are a result of “a lack of due diligence”.

He said that persons being contracted to carry out road repairs are not being properly vetted to ensure that they are capable of getting the job done correctly.

Mr Grant said that during his time as minister he made certain that persons contracted to complete a job were able to get the work done. “Those persons who were given contracts to carry out had to meet a certain criteria, it had to determined if they were capable of not only completing a job; but how effective the end result would be.”

The former minister did admit that he had not been made aware of the potholes in the Village Road area and could only speak in a general sense.

“Only persons who were qualified were allowed to bid for contracts, there was a process in place that assured that after a job was completed and prior to payment, the work had to be inspected and approved by certified engineers,” he added. “They had to give the word that the job was done up to par and done correctly.”

Mr Grant continued: “That process has now been tossed out of the window and the persons that are now being allowed to carry out these types of work are doing a questionable job. If it takes a couple of days of rain to reopen recently patched potholes, that means that the potholes were not properly repaired to begin with.”

Mr Lightbourn said he will continue to press the issue “until the conditions are corrected.”

Attempts to get a response from the Ministry of Works were unsuccessful.