Goodland folk anxious for roadworks to resume
Residents of 3rd Avenue, Goodland, St Michael, want to know what is happening with the roadworks.
They lamented yesterday that it has been weeks since anything was done, and the uneven, now completely marl, road was left to collect water when it rained, as with Sunday’s sustained rainfall.
“A lot of people couldn’t walk through. The water pooled here in front of us, but we could jump over the verandah and go around, but for anyone else walking past, it was a problem.
“When the work started it was going well, but we haven’t seen them now for a few weeks. I don’t have a problem because I know how these things can go, but I just don’t know what happened. I will wait and see,” Neko James said.
Wait-and-see mode
Charles Bayley was also in waitand-see mode, saying he expects any water issues to be addressed.
“The road is not completed, so we won’t know exactly how the water will flow. I hear they are putting down two wells, so that should alleviate the problem,” he said.
However, another resident, who requested anonymity, said it looked like they had been abandoned.
“This work was supposed to be finished since last month, but they just start the work and left it and nobody ain’t say anything. [On Sunday] when all that rain fell, out here was flooded and you couldn’t even get out your house; you couldn’t even get in or get out – especially people that were walking, it was difficult; they could not pass at all.
“Driving was okay, but you still had to be careful because there’s a really deep descent in the road, but walking, no, you could not. I just think that it’s very annoying at this point because, why y’all don’t come and fix the road?” she asked.
Careful
A householder who gave her name as Eleanor described what she had to do to go to the nearby convenience store.
“I had to walk close to my wall, then hold on to the plants on the side of the road and step on rocks. It was a risk because I’m not young anymore. I thought by now this road would be finished, but they left and no one is saying anything, just gone and lef’ it so.
“When the water built up, we were making sport about getting a boat or building a bridge. Now, you still have to be careful because that wet marl could still slide you down,” she said.
The proprietor of Nazma’s Trading, who declined to be identified, had a laundry list of issues. She said it was a dream for the road to finally be repaired but it had turned into a nightmare.
“This is really affecting us. There’s a lot of mess and parking is a problem too. The road too low, so it’s difficult to step up into my shop, especially for people like me with knee problems. And it’s a problem rolling trolleys out to people. If someone falls here, who is responsible?” she asked.
The upset business owner also complained about a drop in customers, low water pressure and dust.
“When the rain fell, we made jokes about having to bathe in the road because the water pressure was so low. I was happy when the road was getting fixed, but nobody has been working now for at least three weeks,” she said.
Contractor for the project is Alpha Omega Construction Inc, but calls made to managing director Teddy Bartlett were unsuccessful. A representative from the Ministry of Transport and Works said they would have the matter looked into.
In a social media video posted by mtwbarbados last month, consultant with Alpha Omega, David Straughn, said the work will entail a complete reconstruction and rebuilding of 3rd Avenue Goodland, including a five-metre-wide carriageway, a metre of sidewalk wherever possible, a “drive-over kerb” to accommodate heavy traffic and two storm water run-off wells.
In the video, Straughn also said residents had been cooperative and “full of praise” for the work and understood the “price of progress”, adding he was pleased Government was employing small contractors. (CA)
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