By JADE RUSSELL
Tribune Staff Reporter
jrussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Ministry of Works officials said $2m had been allocated to repair roads and remove potholes.
Francis Clarke, a senior civil engineer in the ministry, said New Providence’s water drainage system has contributed to the number of potholes.
“Once it rains, we will see potholes appearing,” he said during a press conference yesterday to discuss potholes. “That’s because we don’t have adequate drainage or an elaborate drainage system that would take the water runoff or discharge it properly. And if it’s not discharged properly, water would be settled in the area over a long period of time.”
Mr Clarke said only 15-20 per cent of roads in the capital meet 21st-century standards.
He said heavy rain in June and July hindered road repair efforts.
He said 12 contractors have been assigned to improve the roads, with each contract worth $101,999.82.
Civil engineer Bahiyyah Hepburn said some roads need to be completely resurfaced.
She said people whose vehicles are damaged by potholes can send a compensation claim to the ministry’s permanent secretary.
“It is then evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” she said. “You do not just automatically just get compensated just because of damage because there are several factors that are in play with regards to that, including your own vigilance, safety, and on top of that conditions.”
Bahamix is the paving contractor for the ministry.
“We’ve discovered 118 potholes,” Bahamix General Manager Ryan Rahming said. “So, between the 11th and the 15th, we covered 118 individual patches over those 23 roads.”
Officials are also testing an artificial intelligence app that would help detect road defects.
Comments
bahamianson 1 year, 2 months ago
Bahamians cannot fix roads. Look around new Providence. Every road has potholes. Look at bahamar's roads. They get rain like all other roads, yet without pot holes. Get the chinese to build the roads. Otherwise , we are wasting mony. What plp operative got the contract?
ThisIsOurs 1 year, 2 months ago
The average Bahamian looks down on their Caribbean counterparts as less developed, but I mentioned to someone last week that I've never seen the ubiquitous presence of potholes in Barbados and they have quadruple the road mileage we have. They have rain too.
They also have a proper bus system, bus terminals, buses on regular schedules, buses that go everywhere and their country is far bigger than ours and dollar is half the value. How is this possible? It HAS to be by design. Ingraham road has also not fallen into potholes. Someone at the ministry needs to explain the difference in materials, the difference in composition and the difference in technique. Cause these guys becoming millionaires selling us overpriced garbage
I had a big laugh when the ministry reported theyd be using AI to detect the start of a pothole, my first reaction was some white salesman get them to buy overpriced useless not designed for our environment Shotspotter technology again. As I walked the street and saw 4 inch holes appearing I thought there's your pothole in 8weeks and I must be the economy version AI
The next ripoff is those hills and valleys construction abominations they want us to believe are sidewalks
BONEFISH 1 year, 2 months ago
@ This is ours.The island of Barbados is 166 square miles. There are islands in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas larger than that.
The bus system in Barbados,we could had a similar system on New Providence from the nineteen seventies. However that idea was rejected in fear of upsetting the taxi drivers.Hence we have the chaos and confusion on the streets of New Providence today.
The Bahamas is a country of paradoxes.So call more prosperous than other caribbean countries,yet in many other ways so backward to them.
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