People finally heard something from the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI about a section of Union Road. The old surface was removed by Windward Roads since May 8, but nothing else happened after that.
Recent rains consequently turned the scraped street into a moon-like landscape and led to public outcries primarily by vehicle owners. Concerned citizen Julian Rollocks Jr. added his voice to the complaints in a letter headed “Paving road blunder in Cole Bay” on the opinion pages of this newspaper’s Monday edition.
It turns out the issue is “unforeseen circumstances” with receiving raw materials to make asphalt from abroad. Due to technical shipment and production problems these did not arrive on time.
In addition, there was previously scheduled urgent surfacing work pending at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). The latter getting priority is certainly understandable seeing its importance for the tourism economy.
On the other hand, it’s been a long three weeks. Things that cause delays may occasionally occur particularly in the construction field, but providing timely relevant information to the population remains essential in such cases, especially regarding that already-congested part of the public road network.
Thankfully, the busy street will now be fixed and repaved starting this Thursday, weather permitting. That should soon give motorists, pedestrians, residents and businesses alike some much-needed relief.
Proper communication with society is essential, not just for government but also the island’s main infrastructural contractor. Truth be told, St. Maarten can do better in that respect.
