{"id":205985,"date":"2018-10-11T12:33:44","date_gmt":"2018-10-11T16:33:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/?p=205985"},"modified":"2018-10-11T12:39:25","modified_gmt":"2018-10-11T16:39:25","slug":"letter-to-the-editor-eggleston-road-a-tragedy-waiting-to-happen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dominicanewsonline.com\/news\/homepage\/news\/letter-to-the-editor-eggleston-road-a-tragedy-waiting-to-happen\/","title":{"rendered":"LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Eggleston Road – a tragedy waiting to happen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A section of the Eggleston Road<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We are a group of Eggleston residents who are desperate for help and clarification on the situation of our road because it is a tragedy waiting to happen.<\/p>\n

For many years our road has been deteriorating but received only minor repairs.<\/p>\n

After Erika, and then after Maria it got significantly worse, to such extent that now it is not only longer and harder to commute, but also causing damage to cars. It now is dangerous to drive on the road.<\/p>\n

It is one of the most exposed and difficult to drive roads in the whole country. Big parts of it are narrow and go over unprotected cliff.<\/p>\n

After Maria, a narrow stretch of the road is on the verge of collapsing. It is clearly visible that the road has cracked with the ground washed out under the surface.<\/p>\n

After Erika, someone extended a warning tape over this area but the tape is long gone and only “maintenance” has been done to this part.<\/p>\n

It is a vehicular accident waiting to happen, a bus can be sent 100 yards down the cliff killing all passengers.<\/p>\n

We hope that the responsible authorities take action to avoid such tragedy.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the surface of this road is in such bad condition that many cars break down.<\/p>\n

The potholes are so deep and frequent that it is impossible to maneuver and avoid them.<\/p>\n

There were rumors that road is scheduled for a total renovation, yet it received only a few random patches which did not improve the situation.<\/p>\n

If this road collapse, it will be very costly and difficult to repair, effectively cutting off our community from Roseau.<\/p>\n

There is also another, new problem.<\/p>\n

Repairs were started on a small part of the road (which was actually better than some other parts), just below Eggleston (near African House).<\/p>\n

The narrow road was shaved in half by an excavator, leaving only one tiny line to drive.<\/p>\n

A sign was erected which says “Work in progress”. But this happened almost three months ago, and no real progress is to be seen. No work happens.<\/p>\n

The road was compromised by this contractor creating another dangerous spot, and there is no visible end in sight. This contractor is clearly incapable of professionally performing much-needed road enforcement procedure.<\/p>\n

Our road is so bad already, and now we have another – human-made mash-up.<\/p>\n

This road leads to Eggleston and Giraudel. Also to DOWASCO water catchment, and is connected to the Waitikubuli National Trail, therefore also frequented by tourists.<\/p>\n

We hope that you can publish our letter and someone responsible for road maintenance can in person inspect and assess the problems.<\/p>\n

Decisions need to be made and real work needs to begin to avoid possible tragedy and much more difficult repairs.<\/p>\n