Get BRAGSA’s permission before carrying out any road repairs

Minister of Transport and Works Julian Francis is advising persons or communities that wish to do private repairs on public roads to establish contact with the Bridges, Roads and General Services Authority (BRAGSA) first.{{more}}

The minister, speaking at a press conference earlier this week, made the statement following a situation which arose in the South Leeward constituency two weeks ago, when Parliamentary Representative of the area Nigel Stephenson was prevented from doing community work on a stretch of road.

Francis said that while he welcomes community involvement, it should be supervised by BRAGSA.

“If there is any community who wants to do any major repair, temporary or otherwise on the road, discuss it with BRAGSA first, because the executive has the responsibility for carrying out government work. Not the opposition.”

“If the Parliamentary Representative elected under an NDP ticket, which is in opposition, feels that there is not enough attention being done in his constituency, and he wants to do community work, I would want to ask that parliamentary representative to discuss it with me as Minister of Works and let me ask BRAGSA if they can get it done.”

“Or, if they have the resources to get it done, I want it supervised, because when it is not done properly, you can imagine the amount of licks if the Opposition do it and it is not done properly. I will get more licks in my camp, and I have to be very careful about that.

Francis told those gathered at BRAGSA headquarters on Lower Bay Street on Monday, October 31, that he had requested of police officers stationed at the Vermont Police Station to have Stephenson abort plans to patch the road between the St. Vincent Brewery and the gap leading to WE FM in Campden Park.

Stephenson had announced that community members would be patching holes in that area with concrete on Sunday, October 24.

“I said to them (police)… tell him that the minister says that piece of road that he is going to patch with concrete is on the repair program… and if he goes and repairs it, it will be a waste of time, money and effort because what ever concrete they put there we have to dig out when they doing asphalt.”

The minister said that plans were already in place to repair that stretch of road at a cost of $180,000.

He noted that the road has not yet been done, as focus had been placed on another area in the constituency which was of greater priority.

Francis advised that persons wishing to make temporary repairs to the potholes in asphalt roads should do so with stones, dirt or clay; but not concrete.

“It would be silly for somebody to go there and fill all those holes with concrete and we have to go and dig it back up.

“Our individual priorities are not national priorities, and we have to pick the priorities if we are spending the money.”(JJ)