7 years later key Harrigan Road still closed!
Residents in the area said they have constantly pleaded with different governments to consider the repair and reopening of the road matters of importance but their cries have been constantly falling on deaf ears and marred with faint promises.
A visit to the area revealed the severity of the damages to the road, no signs indicating that the road is closed, and no lights to highlight the damage ahead. Residents in the area recalled the tragic death of a tourist when his vehicle toppled off the side of the eroded section of the road.
Complaints
This news site was also told that approximately one week prior to the incident, a senior Government official had visited the area and was cautioned about the danger of a possible fatal accident.
Virgin Islands News Online spoke with several of the affected residents and everyone insisted that the road was a major one and its disrepair has been causing them undue inconveniences. “This thing got from bad to worse from sometime since 2006 – 2007. We have been complaining about this a very long time and every time they saying they going to fix it and every day is some excuse,” said Ms Enid Greene, a resident of Harrigan Estate.
According to Ms Greene, when the road became impassable they had succeeded in getting the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government to fix it while in office the first time. “When the NDP was in the first time, then they get it fixed,” she recalled.
Two retaining walls were erected; however, one had subsequently collapsed. “From then they say they going to fix it and it just there till now. You even can’t walk properly there,” she added.
Poor engineering and supervision
Ms Greene said the problem was developed when a resident (name given) had cut his land in the area to facilitate the construction of his house. It resulted in the road being undermined.
Others, including Mr Denley Vanterpool, had a similar story to tell. He said the road has become a potential hazard as lives could be lost or serious injuries could occur if persons attempt to trek the area by foot. “People can fall of that cliff because of how it is right now. It’s not safe to even create a foot path,” said Mr Vanterpool.
Where is the Hon. J. Alvin Christopher?
It was explained by the residents that the road provided a faster and easier access to especially Cane Garden Bay and Sea Cows Bay. “Each year when elections time come around they talk about it and that’s it. This is the second district,” said the frustrated man.
Several valiant efforts to reach the Representative for the Second District, Hon. J. Alvin Christopher have proven futile. Residents also said that they had made attempts to get Hon. Christopher but to no avail.
Similar efforts to secure comments from the Public Works Department and the Minister for Communications and Works, Honourable Mark H. Vanterpool were without success.
“This road is in his district right, but this is beyond a district road, it is a main road in the Territory that is affecting everybody and not just us here in the Second District,” said Mr Vanterpool.
The longer, costly routes
He explained that persons going especially to the Western communities depended extensively on the road. “This was a road that use to have heavy traffic. It is not as if it was hardly in use, it as a main road for persons,” according to Vanterpool.
Persons over the years have been forced to drive much longer routes to access Harrigan. If they are proceeding from Sea Cow’s Bay, have no choice but to head to Road Town proceed up Joe’s Hill and or Paul Wattley/Manse Road to and use other bypass roads to access Harrigan Estate.
Residents and other users of the road said they are fed-up of the promising games and they now need action. “Times hard, every drop of gas matters, people time matters and this situation is serious. It is time that this is addressed once and for all,” said Mr Vanterpool.
Questions
Residents are currently pondering a number of things as it regards the repairing of the road. They claimed they are positive that there is/are contract/s sitting with the present NDP government to address the road.
They said that from the best of their knowledge the government of the day has been talking about diverting a small section of the road, which would necessitate the approval of the land owner. “I don’t know where they are with that but this is a simple problem. They left this road like this for too long and that not fair,” said a senior resident of Harrigan’s, Mr Clearence J. Vanterpool.
“I cut this road myself” – Clearence J. Vanterpool
The elderly man, Mr Vanterpool, said whenever he has to speak about the road he becomes very emotional as he had invested his personal funds many years ago to cut the full length of the road and over the years several neighbours had also invested personal funds to help in its maintenance.
“I did it because I use to have to walk all the way from over there to over here with heavy load on my head everyday (one end to the other).” He claimed that the NDP Government had entered into a gentleman’s agreement by promising to refund him when the area became commercialized.
“It became commercial and back to square one and still I never got back a cent. I didn’t sign any paper or so because you know, you were so trusting I never expected that things would have gotten to this stage,” said Mr Vanterpool.
“I got licks for this road” - resident
One woman, who opted not to be named, reflected on the days when with lashes sometimes she and others as children were made to assist with placing blocks and rocks whenever the community came together to repair the road after it would have been washed away during rainy seasons.
“All of that stop when the government had decided that they were going to declare the road a public one making it open for anyone and everyone to use. It didn’t make any sense that we be repairing all the time and others using it and helping to destroy it, that couldn’t work,” said the woman.
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29 Responses to “7 years later key Harrigan Road still closed!”
THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS THEY ARE TAX PAYERS IN THIS AREA
Why...? , because this whole bloody country is just a bad dream.
Everything In Harrigan the people made it happen Nothing has been donated by the government in Harrigan Area. So When the people in Harrigan Complain it's because the people give them plenty of time to make things happen and the government has done nothing. I love this road.. as I didn't have to run to town to get to Sea Cow's bay or Fort Burt Area. Man I could just stay up on that Hill and look down and see the horse race.. Didn't have to leave my home sometimes. I road my donkey from North to South.. on that road, shifted my cows on that road.. and to see it in this condition is just emotional... D****.......didn't care about the road when he tried to build a house there, he only though about making a killing on the view. Now we don't even have a road to drive on or walk on because of inconsiderate people. This road was my morning or afternoon get away when I want to just clear the air...Nice cool breeze, when you walking on that hill side.
Just saying........... Yes the Government can assist in fixing the road but owner of that development need to take responsibility too!! Why did you retaining wall fail in such a way?? The first priority should have been in ensuring the Road was stable before putting up so many buildings at the same time.
That's my 2cents
The VIP did not fix the road the NDP say they will!!! so let’s get on with it from always ducking