Walwyn pleads with gov’t over poor roads
Sixth District Representative Myron Walwyn made an urgent plea to Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley in the House of Assembly (HOA) this week, for the government to focus its attention on getting the territory’s roads fixed.
Walwyn asked Premier Wheatley whether his government sought technical assistance from the United Kingdom (UK) and said the UK was willing to help. He described roads in the UK as some of the best in the world and noted that they have repeatedly offered to help the BVI.
Premier Wheatley, after, informing the House that more than $46 million was spent on road repairs and maintenance in the last ten years, disclosed that his government has not sought any technical support from the UK for road improvement and repairs at any time.
However, Premier Wheatley also said this figure did not capture all direct and indirect repair and maintenance activities, including other spending such as civil mitigation.
We know what we need to do
Walwyn questioned whether the Premier was concerned that after spending nearly $50 million in road repairs over the past ten years, it may now be a wise course to invite the UK to provide assistance in areas that they have traditionally done a good job in.
“I would join with [Walwyn] and say over a period of many years, we haven’t done what we’re supposed to do as it pertains to our infrastructure,” Premier Wheatley remarked. “And I think that we know what we need to do. We don’t necessarily need the UK to tell us what we need to do, we just need to be able to do what we need to do.”
Dr Wheatley, in the meantime, described the issue of road repairs and maintenance as being inherently complex in nature and explained that there are many considerations that go into the upkeep of the territory’s roadways.
He argued that good drainage and proper signage were among the things that were not done to ensure the territory’s roadways were done at a proper standard.
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A BRITISH ENGINEER CONSTRUCTED BOTH THE LONG BUSH ROAD AND JOSH STRETCH DOWN WEST AND THEY STOOD UP FOR DECADES
Nice words of wisdom Sir, but they seem somewhat tainted and disingenuous after almost a decade of you being a Minister in the previous regime all while being part and party to furthering the country’s current infrastructural woes.
@HISTORY Also the road from Government hill to Sea View.
We don’t necessarily need the UK to tell us what we need to do, we just need to be able to do what we need to do.”
This is where we always get in trouble (EGO). We dont need then to tell us what to do! We need there expertice! They were building roads when we were riding donkeys.
If he’d only heeded his own advice by his own admission he was unqualified to control the construction of a certain wall how many contractors how much a Sqm .
Bvi is not a real place a man arrested and charged now sit in the house of laws what a shame
has better roads than the BVI now and the roads will only get worse. Maybe all those self appointed road construction engineers in the BVI that also want independence from the UK should move to Haiti and learn how to build durable roads.
Given the billions paid in as government revenue since the 1980’s you would think we would have good roads.
I wonder why they have been done so badly? Perhaps the spec was poor to start with and then badly executed so that a further contract could be obtained by the incompetent contractor who could then receive some more tax payer money?
So the cycle goes on and we continue to have 3rd world infrastructure.
The RDA Road Projects continue to stand strong.
Beautiful!