Our roads and other infrastructure

THE EDITOR, Sir:

The torrential rains resulting from the passing of tropical storm Nicole have caused much devastation to the road network islandwide. We should not be surprised, however, because most of our roads are either old or poorly built. When one examines the thickness of the surfaces, the asphalt is so thin that there is no way that such roads can stand up to heavy rainfall or heavy traffic.

It seems as if the builders stretch the material to the limit rather than doing fewer projects and doing them properly. Who supervise these jobs and do we demand warranties from the contractors? Some contractors are of questionable competence but because they have the right connections, they get the jobs. We have been wasting money to patch roads which should have been completely re-engineered. So we patch the patches over and over. A good dressmaker would never patch an old garment with new cloth and expect it to last.

Bog Walk Gorge and Mandela Highway

Over many generations, the Bog Walk gorge is flooded each year during the rains, sometimes with loss of life. The alternative route via Sligoville is a disgrace. How this can be a suitable alternative is beyond me. The passage of each tropical disturbance causes the Mandela highway to be impassable at Ferry because of flooding. Not much has been done to construct drains in that area since the passage of Tropical Storm Thelma some years ago when the same thing happened. The very name of Ferry has some historical significance so the road engineers should have considered that. What is frightening, however, is the thought of someone needing urgent medical attention getting stuck on that road or if someone's house is on fire waiting on the fire truck. Apart from fuel, countless man hours are lost daily.

The railway alternative

It is very foolish to have a city of nearly a million people depending on the Mandela highway for entry and exit with few alternatives. The railway was foolishly abandoned some years ago at a time when we are paying lip service to fuel conservation. For years, we have heard of its rebirth, but the idea seems subject to abortion or stillbirth every time. A reliable service to Linstead and May Pen could avoid both the Mandela highway and the gorge and take scores of motor vehicles off the road, especially in peak hours and floods.

It is understandable that there is a shortage of funds to restore the rail ser-vice, but the original system was not built at one time but in stages over a period of time.

Earthquake fears

The house that fell in the Sandy Gully as a result of the flood brings to attention the level of preparedness of the city for a major earthquake. It took several hours before heavy equipment was brought in to check that single building. The thought of many people trapped in collapsed buildings crying for help is not a very pleasant one. Let us hope that it will never happen.

I am, etc.,

TREVOR SAMUELS

tasamuels@cwjamaica.com

New Kingston

Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

A flooded Bog Walk gorge in St Catherine after heavy rains on September 13. The gorge had to be closed for several hours.