The Tribune

THE Tribune’s ‘Fix My Street’ campaign to help remedy the potholes that are the scourge of motorists in New Providence has received a further boost with reports of repairs carried out in Pinewood, Seabreeze and off East Bay Street in the past few days.

One grateful resident of Breadfruit Street told The Tribune they were “pleased to state that as of this week all of the ‘trenches and craters’ on our section of the street have been patched”. But their complaints lingered.

“Sadly, many of the other residents of Pinewood Gardens are not so lucky. I noticed that Water and Sewage was ‘re-digging’ another street for whatever reason. What irks me is that this is supposed to be the capital city. Why are not the various utility companies co-ordinating their repairs? Why are various utility companies digging up roads and then re-digging two weeks later and so on? Why can’t all repairs that are needed to be done, be done one time?”

The resident also pointed out some ‘re-digging’ on the newly paved Wulff Road. “To some these sort of situations may be minor but to persons that have to drive on these streets day in and day out it is taxing; both emotionally and financially. In the past few weeks I have personally had to purchase two tyres for my vehicle due to the roads in New Providence. Look at the US; they never do any road construction or utility fixes without proper planning. The public is alerted in a timely manner of detours etc.

“They do not allow their roads to get to deplorable conditions. The Ministry of Works, Department of Environmental Health, Parks and Public Areas, Water and Sewage Corporation, BEC and the like need to do better and actually do the jobs that we, the taxpayers, are paying them for.”

Last week, a rash of potholes around the junction of Sisal Road and Blue Hill Road in Golden Gates were repaired, just days after an article and photographs appeared in The Tribune. This followed similar action in response to photographs of large holes where Cowpen Road meets Maria Drive and a dangerous ‘crater’ at the junction of East Bay Street and Deveaux Street. Also repaired recently is the sidewalk by Montagu fish dock, where broken concrete kerbing had been left in the hedgerow, and potholes on both sides of Imperial Park Road heading south from the Seabreeze Canal.

Another area of concern is the entrance of Stanford Drive off Prospect Ridge Road, which was dug up several months ago, according to locals. “Parts of the road were paved; however, the entrance was left unpaved and potholes have now formed,” a resident wrote.

“It is very annoying when entering the corner, one has no choice but fall into the holes.” Another area that has attracted complaints is Village Road near the junction of Parkgate Road, which according to locals has been neglected for several months and is growing and getting deeper. “Especially since it is located on the corner, this could potentially cause an accident for cars turning in off the main road,” a resident said.

Virley Mckinney, proprietor of Asphalt Maintenance Paving & Testing (AMPT) Co Ltd, has contacted the newspaper after seeing a Fix My Street article last week and offered to assist with the reinstatement of the potholes. Mr Mckinney said his company is contracted by the Ministry of Works for pothole reinstatement and there would be no associated cost for repairs of government roadways. AMPT have asphalt paving ‘Thermo’ trucks specifically designed for pothole patching.

“We thrive on serving the Bahamian public and would like to continue the Ministry of Works’ efforts of ensuring our roadways remain safe for motorists,” Mr Mckinney said, asking for people to contact the company direct if they have complaints about the state of the roads.

The Tribune has been drawing attention to areas that are being neglected, or are unsightly, unhealthy and being ignored by the relevant authorities, whether they be potholes in the road, uncollected garbage or abandoned cars.

• Email fixmystreet@tribunemedia.net to let us know your issues.