The Ministry of Infrastructure has announced plans to address the concerns of residents who are distressed over the state of the Guyabois Road in Saltibus.
The residents told St. Lucia Times that the road had become impassable.
Artist Olivette ‘Oli’ Wallace said she had to shelve plans to establish an art studio.
“It got worse over the past couple of years,” Wallace said regarding the road.
“It’s tourist season, so I was planning to get my art studio over there and I had some other plans, hoping to do with village tourism to get people to actually come over. But the road is impassable,” she told St. Lucia Times.
Wallace said she had not been able to start building.
Infrastructure Ministry spokesman Miguel Fevrier recalled that some months ago, Infrastructure Minister Stephenson King and a team visited various roads, including the Guyabois Road.
He explained that King was exploring various options to fix the road, including using base material.
However, the Infrastructure Ministry spokesman said they realised that would have been an exercise in futility.
“Putting the base material without sealing it would have eventually led to the base material being washed off the road,” Fevrier told St. Lucia Times.
He disclosed that another option involved fixing the entire road in phases due to its length, but said the Minister did not intend to do so immediately.
Fevrier said it would have been a costly venture.
However, the need for emergency intervention elsewhere interfered with the plan.
“But as the Prime Minister indicated, next year would be the year for infrastructure, and the Minister did indicate that in the new year, we are looking at going ahead with our plans (regarding) Guyabois road and other roadways, once funding is available,” he stated.
“We are going to look at the plan that we had in mind to do the Guyabois road in phases,” Fevrier said.
“I do know a plan and a costing would have been drawn up by the responsible engineers and submitted to the Chief Engineer,” the Ministry spokesman explained.
(Story updated)
This road has been getting worse for years, there is NO excuse to why this road has not been done. No garbage collection, no emergency vehicles, no produce being able to move, no vehicles able to pass without damage etc etc NO EXCUSES.
Why do these residents need to suffer, tourists want to visit and stay, jobs could be created BUT every year the same old story……….well done st lucia government. For the people? DON’T THINK SO.
Concerned residents on this road. A emergency waiting to happen. Someone is going to be seriously injured or die because the emergency services cannot get anywhere near to help. The government need to do something fast before this tragedy happens.
This road has been so badly eroded as it seems to have never been finished. Drains are in place but the road has become the river and impassable. Something needs to be done
Very sad state of affairs they need to fix the roads
This area have so much to offer our sweet st lucia but is been ignored . With a heavy heart i say please fix the road. Millions were spent on drain workd only! No good deed goes unpunished! This work distroyed the already delapidated road. The road is lower than the drain, making the road the new water way or river.lease fi
Please fix our road!!!!!!!!
We have been elected for to long please fix the road
The spokesperson could have left all the other “info” and just confirmed that the road will be fixed next year. Problem with PR people yall say too much going in circles…how many ways to fix an old road. Unless SLU have Japanese technology in building and fixing road. Speak concisely spokesperson. And truthfully not even diplomatically nobody has time.
Honestly speaking the statement from Miguel is nothing more that RIDICULOUS NONSENSE. Is like he trying to make King look good. Oh King was exploring options. What does King know about road construction. Ppl go to school for years to learn but dem Politicians always medling and the results is NONSENSE, SMBH. The only role the man has there is to request form the min of finance the money not to decide what is done or how it is done. That is the responsibility by law of the Chief Engineer.
When roads were being fixed they said they could not eat roads remember? Now why complain
I guess they can eat roads now…..smh
We have been unable to visit friends who live off this road, for well over a year now, we can’t afford the repairs to our car every time we use that road. Get it fixed! Spend some of the hundreds of thousands of dollars you are making by selling ‘citizenship’ to foreigners
Take heart my people Manoel Street in what is suppose to be the City is ten times worse. Please bring back Mayor Francis he was the only Mayor that made a difference.
The road is in shambles, has been for years with nothing but empty promises from the local government. Car cannot pass without sustaining damage in the dry season and it the wet season you might as well bring a boat because that’s the only way to get down there. Emergency services and garbage collection can no longer access this are causing servere concerns for locals with no access to potentialy life saving services and basic human needs. The local authorities should be ashamed of themselves.
It looks like a raft is needed to travel down that road. Don’t get excited about the road being completed soon. Did you notice the spokesperson was talking from the corner of his mouth? His shifty responses is a clear indicator that he is BSing.
It would seem that there is some misinformation here. We have been in contact with the various departments over Two years. King visited over a year ago. Stated January, then the false statements. We have the budget, then it’s going for budget, then it’s been approved,then it hasn’t, approved again etc etc etc. Dictionary says New year First few days or weeks not months of a New Year, we will see . Get our PM involved!!!!
Anonymous, when Chas had borrowed the 863 million dollars to repair the roads, were you in St.Lucia?
Can you tell us the amount of roads he repaired with thT money.
Let me follow Troy Francis, how many passports did Chas sell during his reign?
Who was the district rep for this constituency during the reign of ALLEN Chastanet?
Did he repair the road?
I have more to say, let me hear the comments.
The fact that this road has been getting unreal these last few years and not being felt with is a real problem. There is an air bnb witch is great and attracts loads of tourists, but because of that road, it will of course put people off. It damages cars.
It needs to be fixed or felt with.
Bradley Felix, spent almost 6 years in government when he represented residence of,Guyabois.
Q. Did he visited them at all?
If yes; Is it only a situation when when he needs their votes.
The issue here, politicians comes to you begging for your votes on the promise that they will take care of the constituency needs,play with your dogs eat drink you you and when they are voted into office they for you.
Bradley Felix is solely responsible for the condition of that road. Don’t tell me you spent 6 years doing jack shit for the Constituency and in less than two years in opposition you’re calling on the government to take care of your neglects.
Guess you were too, busy kissing,Chantnet butt, giving away our lands to a foreigner,rather than taking care of your people.
This area was represented in parliament during the last govt and remained neglected. Faithful UWP supporters. The loyalist even trying to absolve them with nonsense that opposition said if ppl ate roads….the reality is if uwp wanted to, they would.
SLP will do it….will they vote for them?
Doesn’t matter who is in power…….we cant get out to get food to eat so cant eat roads is a stupid statement. All is neede is SOMEONE TO DO THE doesnt matter what government is in power. Emergency vehicles cant access homes, farmers can’t tend to their crops, garbage isn’t being emptied etc etc
It is in the government’s best interest to keep the roads in a deplorable state. Bad roads –> more repairs for vehicles –> more parts needed –> more parts need to be imported –> more duties and taxes on imported parts. You must also drive slower. It takes more energy to move a stationary/slow moving object than one already in motion. Fuel economy is affected (at least 20%). More fuel needs to be purchased. More taxes collected on this fuel.
The government is running you broke.
I have to say as a visitor to the area . I spent a month in St Lucia with my husband touring round the island. I did find it very stressful particularly in this area as the on the conditions of the road were just intolerable and dangerous to say the least . I sincerely hope to return but not under the conditions of the road in this area . It takes away the whole onject if holidaying and having fun . I would be delighted if they were improved in such a way as to make them safe .
They started this road since two administrations ago when SLP was in 2011-2016 and after they lost this road and been neglected and more attention was given to the Saltibus road but this is sad that abroad can be neglected for more than 7 years, this is just crazy. SLU government, no matter which administration, you can do better