Government funnelling road funds into VIP districts — Penn

Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has accused the government of directing road expenditure towards districts represented by Virgin Islands Party members while neglecting heavily travelled routes elsewhere in the territory.

Penn pointed to the condition of the Ridge Road, which he described as one of the busiest thoroughfares in the BVI, during an appearance on the Talking Points radio programme.

“I’m happy to see that the West End is getting some attention and the entire territory needs attention. But the Ridge Road is one of the busiest roads in this entire territory. It’s in a deplorable condition,” Penn stated.

He said a section of the road remained hazardous because of work near a Water and Sewerage Department manhole. According to Penn, a traffic cone had been placed there months ago to help motorists avoid the affected area.

“You have 100 million dollars that was borrowed, and that money should be borrowed for the entire territory, not just the districts where the Virgin Islands Party has representatives. [It’s] for the entire territory,” Penn stated. “Spend the money where the people of the territory can get benefit from the resources,” he added.

Penn also criticised the management of infrastructure projects, saying the government had not presented a territory-wide plan for repairing roads.

“There seems to be no method to the madness. It’s a haphazard approach,” Penn stated.

He said road crews appeared to move between districts and projects without a clear programme governing which roads should receive priority. He called for a comprehensive infrastructure plan and said the government should transfer responsibility for executing road projects to the Recovery and Development Agency.

“The RDA should be the one used to deploy these road projects. Use the RDA. Let them get the expertise that they need. Take the politics out of it. And just fix the roads in the territory. Fix the infrastructure in the territory,” Penn stated.

The government has previously said its $100 million loan facility covers several capital projects and not roadworks alone. Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer said $38 million had been allocated for major road repairs, although he explained in June 2025 that the projects were still undergoing design and procurement.

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley later said the loan’s project list included water-network improvements and primary road upgrades across all districts, along with work on schools, health facilities, sewerage, and the airport.