Road to Hermitage Hotel is hellish, motorists complain, while residents fear that water-filled potholes could be health hazard
Motorists and persons living in the area are complaining about a major thoroughfare in Jennings that leads to one of the island’s noted hotels.
In circulation now are pictures of the road leading to Hermitage Hotel, showing its deplorable condition. The surface is pitted with large potholes that are now filled with water due to recent rainfall.
It appears that the road was not properly paved with asphalt, and what was laid during its construction has eroded over the years.
Persons commenting on the photos are calling on the Ministry of Public Works and, by extension, Parliamentary Representative Sir Molwyn Joseph to get the road repaired as soon as possible.
The condition of the road has been deteriorating for years, but is now much worse, they say; and this is a disgrace, considering that tourists have to traverse it to get to the hotel.
“This is the direct route from Jolly [Harbour] to Hermitage. Where is our MP? It’s an outrage,” one man says.
Another person reports that she stayed at the hotel five years ago. It seemed like it took forever to get there, with all the jerking, swerving from potholes, and slowing down to maneuver them, the woman complains.
It is a shame and embarrassment that the road has not been fixed some five years later, she says.
Meanwhile, residents fear that the water accumulated in the potholes could cause another health hazard – the breeding of mosquitoes, which cause many diseases, including dengue fever and chikungunya.
The area’s MP, Sir Molwyn, serves as the Minister of Health, Wellness and the Environment.
According to one critic, he should be ashamed for allowing the potential cause of a health disaster in his constituency – at a time when the country is already overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Calls are also being made for other roadways to be fixed, including the one that leads to Devil’s Bridge, especially when Prime Minister Gaston Browne has promised that the country will be fully reopened and more tourists are expected on island.
In the meantime, residents in the southern villages continue to wait for the repairs at Little Creek Bridge to be completed; the split in the Crabbe Hill roadway to be repaired; and the broken road at Cades Bay to be addressed.
