BVI News

Elevator road finally being repaired, select trucks to be barred from using route

The Elevator

By Esther Durand, BVI News Staff

The deplorable condition of the road on Tortola known as ‘The Elevator’ is finally being addressed.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works Jeremy Hodge told BVI News that a three-day project which started on Wednesday will see a much safer roadway for motorists and pedestrians who ply that route.

“Part of the problem that we have been having on this road is when the concrete trucks go up on the road – because of the steepness – it causes spillage, and when the concrete gets hard, it makes it difficult for cars to utilise the road,” Hodge explained.

He said a team comprising of the Public Works Department and a private contractor is in the process of removing the concrete residue build-up as well as the asphalt beneath it.

When completed, the road will be thoroughly cleaned and resurfaced. Hodge said the concrete portion of the road located above the steeper section of the road will also receive targetted attention.

“We are working on designs to support that road,” he said.

Dissuade truckers

In the meantime, Hodge said the Works Ministry is brainstorming suitable measures that can be implemented to prevent concrete trucks from traversing that route.

He said among their plans are to construct a barrier so that vehicles taller than a certain height would not be able to traverse the area.

Authorities are also considering to place CCTV cameras in the area and engage the public to report on any concrete trucks who are seen using the route.

He said they will also be soliciting the cooperation of the local concrete companies in that regard.

Money now available

Asked why the road is only now being repaired and resurfaced, Hodge said, among other factors, an unavailability of money delayed the start of the project.

“It has been quite a bit going on since we have been going through the recovery period and I guess it has been a lack of focus to deal with this particular road,” he said.

“It is something that has been on the schedule for a while, among other things.”

Another reason for the delay was sourcing asphalt, the permanent secretary said.

“We don’t have our own asphalt plant as yet, and it took some time for us to access asphalt from the company that we were depending on to set up. Once we touched that road, we needed to put asphalt on it because it is so steep. So now that we have access to some asphalt and we have access to some funding, we are now able to accelerate the works on that road.”

Hodge was not able to say what is the total cost of the project, which is being funded by the Ministry of Finance.

During the first sitting of the House of Assembly last week, representative of the Third District where the road is located, Julian Fraser, renewed calls for the road to be repaired. He described its condition as dangerous.

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34 Comments

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  1. Mountain View says:

    Good call Kyle

    Like 4
    Dislike 2
  2. strupes says:

    That concrete company need to pay for most of this

    Like 26
  3. wow says:

    I love how Foy helping out his old buddy Frazer…The NDP sabotaged the man for 8 long years

    Like 13
    Dislike 4
  4. Ausar says:

    Terrible, terrible roads!

    And with the former government blewing through tens of millions, this is the best that our roads can look?

    Shameful!!

    Like 6
    Dislike 8
  5. School children says:

    Only because the speaker has a house up there lol

    Like 13
    Dislike 10
  6. SMH#2 says:

    Could something like this be implemented for Jose Hill road as well? It is very dangerous when those big trucks meet traffic at “S” corner on that hill.

    Like 16
  7. Visitor says:

    Nice house.

  8. Politico Nuevo says:

    The road has been nicknamed “Elevator Hill” for a reason. It is probably one of the steepest and dangerous roads on Tortola, if not the territory. It is in a state of disrepair and deterioration so resurfacing in the short term is needed to improve safety and improve ride/use quality. In the longer term, the road needs to be redesigned and reconstructed. Furthermore, the whole BVI road network needs to redesigned and reconstructed. The perpetrators of spilled concrete should be held accountable. The BVI has a mixed use road network with limited alternative routes so closing segments of the network to some type of traffic can be tricky.

  9. resident says:

    Please Minister Fraser no water for three days now….when are we going to get steady water all day in Sea cows Bay and Hannahs?… when the b****r does come on it only comes from 5am to 7am

  10. Elevator Angel says:

    No-one is as happy as me, because see that yellow house? That is where I live!

    • @Elevator Hill says:

      It is a beautiful home,awesome view, it looks like a home you would see in Greece. Will you consider selling?

      • @Elevator Hill says:

        I would agree,beautiful house. If you landscape the area around the property it would be worth a lot of money if you decide to sell.

  11. It's about time. says:

    This needs to happen for other roads in the BVI. Not just a banning of car types but also a banning of when cars can be parked on the road. Some roads are so small and congested and people parking on them only makes it harder to navigate; especially when the garbage truck is around.

  12. very simple solution says:

    very simple solution. erect an overhead steel structure at the entrance that would limit vehicles over a certain height from passing through. not rocket science. heck, you can even put a sign on it that says “welcome to Elevator Hill” or whatever the road is called.

  13. Ohhh says:

    Wait so they willing to put CCTV in the area to monitor the traffic?? Rather than have CCTV cameras in areas to monitor our citizens and capture criminal activities SMH

  14. E. Leonard says:

    Driving up or down Elevator Hill seemed not to be for the weak of heart. However, if you live off the route, though it is steep, it may be convenient to use it. In regards to the repair project and if the road is in a failed condition, the resurfacing project though bringing temporary relief to the long suffering users is only a temporary fix. As the civil engineering (transportation) folks know, the fix for a failed road is reconstruction, ie, removing and replacing the surface, base, and subbase (if applicable) courses down to the subgrade. The subgrade should be stabilized if needed.

    Moreover, the BVI is comprise of a hilly terrain. Roads in the BVI are relatively steep. Constructing roads in hilly terrain should be as moderatively sloped as practical. Moderately slope roads are safer and easier to operate on. Steep slopes are tough on transmission and brakes. Constructed roads in hilly terrain are typically long and winding to attain moderate slopes. In addition to choosing a moderate route, roads in hilly terrain typically goes around (not straight up) or cutting thru the hill. A long term project for the BVI road network is to may be redesign and reconstruct it. It will be a challenging, costly,inconveniencing……etc but a needed project.

    • Road Dog says:

      @E. Leonard, the process you are noting , ie going around or cutting thru the hill(s) for a moderate slope is what should have been done at the beginning, the outset. At this point, it will be challenging to do. For one thing, it will take land to do and people are not going to give up any land for a right-of-way. Eminent domain is an option but not a good one. In the mean time, residents will have to cope with steep slopes. These steep slopes wreaks havoc on trannies and brakes and expose motorists and others to dangerous motoring situations. It is a tough nut to crack but it needs cracking. VI residents elect government to solve problems, difficult problems to improve the quality of life and progress the territory. VIP lets do dis ting. Show that you are a difference maker and up to job. The dogs are howling at the thought of having to traverse these steep slopes.

  15. BuzzBvi says:

    Can we also report reckless scooter riders without helmets out on deliveries.

  16. Salt-T says:

    The BVI on a whole is very beautiful but the Governments need to do some serious work on the Road and Drainage system in all the islands if we wanna continue to be the number one tourist destination all roads especially the main roads that the tourist are enroute,should be looking like the turquoise seas on a beautiful day

  17. Pro says:

    The top of cane garden bay hill is just as steep as elevator hill if not steeper.who the h**l give it the name anyway. How does one associate a hill with an elevator?

  18. same picture says:

    good my brakes cant take that hill at all

  19. girls says:

    the roads really need to get fixed

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