Work resumes on damaged Crabbe Hill road; some residents call it an election gimmick and a response to Lovell’s criticism

Less than a month away from general elections, work has resumed on the Crabbe Hill main road, and members of the public are calling it another election gimmick by the Antigua Labour Party and its St. Mary’s South candidate, Samantha Marshall.

Marshall has posted online photographs of the work being undertaken, claiming that aggregate is now available, so the work to complete the base of the road can be resumed.

Photos show a cement truck pouring concrete as workmen level it off.  However, some residents are already predicting that the area will “crack again and again and again.”

One woman says this is the nonsense that the people can expect from the Labour Party Government: Neglect an issue for years; and, then, on the eve of an election, do a patch job that will end up costing the taxpayers millions of dollars.

She says the area needs to be excavated and some type of bridge or reinforced road should be built, since the sea and the salt air will continue to erode the concrete.

Referring to the Labour Party, the disgusted woman says she cannot wait until January 18 – Election Day – to get rid of these vagabonds.

In his address on Tuesday, December 20, Harold Lovell, Political Leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), made reference to the condition of the road at Crabbe Hill and at Cades Bay – and some people believe this is what has prompted the Government’s rush job.

That thoroughfare, which serves communities on the southern side of the island, has been damaged since September 7, 2021.

At that time, an extended crack appeared in one section of the road and deteriorated in less than 24 hours, with portions caving in and creating holes.

This posed a threat to motorists, prompting officials to cordon off one side of the road and to use lights to control the flow of traffic on the other.

Marshall subsequently visited the area to examine the extent of the damage, which stretched between Crabbe Hill and the Keona Hotel.

Promises were made to have the roadway repaired in a timely manner; and, on Monday, December 6, 2021, the Ministry of Works announced that it had begun repairs to the roadway and reinforcement of the seawall to prevent it from being breached by the ocean.  

That work was expected to last for at least three weeks.

At the same time, engineers and technicians from the Ministry of Works, as well as police officers, conducted an assessment.  They determined that heavy-duty equipment and trucks would not be allowed to traverse that area, but cars and other light vehicles would be permitted to use the unaffected section of the roadway.

Meanwhile, since the road at Cades Bay remains caved in, residents believe it will be the next target of the Labour Party’s campaign.