State of roads ‘unacceptable,’ says roads minister

The condition of some roads in the Virgin Islands is “unacceptable,” but improvements are coming soon, according to the minister responsible for their upkeep.

“I will not offer excuses: The state of some roads is unacceptable,” Communications and Works Minister Kye Rymer said during a Friday press conference. “And I do apologise for the disruption this has caused residents and businesses.”

He added that targeted road patching will begin shortly in several areas, and he explained that issues at the government’s asphalt plant had caused problems.

“These issues were not the result of negligence or any desire to leave people uncomfortable,” he said. “I assure you that better is coming.”

Among other projects in the pipeline, Mr. Rymer said works are planned to fix the road in Sabbath Hill and to improve the overlay of the coast road to West End.

Sewerage

The minister also promised improvements in sewerage infrastructure, saying that the initial stage of the East End/Long Look project will be commissioned “within days.”

The move follows decades of delays under successive governments.

In September, the current administration announced it would commission East End’s first public sewerage system within two months.

The ongoing work includes the Long Swamp Sewerage Pump Station, which was built to serve a 5,000-population sewerage system that various politicians have been promising for some 20 years.

Mr. Rymer added that the second phase of the sewerage scheme, from Paraquita Bay to Long Swamp, has now been signed-off on.