Sucker Garden:--- Residents, drivers and other road users that are using the Sucker Garden road have to once again endure severe traffic jams while drivers try to avoid the potholes on that main road.SMN News took some time out on Tuesday to monitor the traffic situation on that road to see the effects of the potholes. Besides the constant traffic jams, vehicle owners have to deal with thee unnecessary expenses of constantly replacing parts on their vehicles. Another trend we noticed on Sucker Garden road is the constant flow of sewage and other waters. While we are aware that there has been constant rainfall over the past weeks it is clear that those in authority are not taking the necessary steps to make sure home owners dispose of their waste water in a hygienic way.
The Sucker Garden road and a few other roads in the Cay Hill area were among the roads repaired for the Royal Visit on November 3rd 2011. Head of the Maintenance Department of Public Works Claudius Buncamper confirmed on Tuesday that the Council of Ministers awarded a contract to MNO VERVAT for the sum of Naf. 1.2 million to repair the roads throughout the island for the year 2011. The department head also confirmed that Sucker Garden Road was repaired and number of the potholes on that road were filled for the Royal visit. When asked if his department monitors the road work and if they are satisfied with the quality of work that is provided by MNO VERVAT,
Buncamper said his department does monitor the road repairs but he did not say if they are satisfied or not with the quality of work that is provided by the company. The department head said that the filling of the potholes is not a permanent fix and government chose to fill the potholes because they lack funds to further develop and repair the road network. While the potholes were filled the underground work remained the same Buncamper said.In the meantime, several contractors told SMN News that MNO VERVAT is using cheap and low quality asphalt to fill the potholes and it is only normal that it washes away as soon as rain falls. "Everyone on St. Maarten knows that the two companies conducting the road repairs are not providing quality work. One week after the St. Peters road was finished it caved in and while the Cole Bay road is under construction there is no provision done for drainage. So these contractors will get another contract to block the road in another few months to put in drainage."
Shoppers and other persons walking through Front and Back Street would fall down all the time because of the condition of those two main roads in Philipsburg. "When our visitors come here they walk through Front and Back Street and many times they fall. Driving a car through those two streets is like being on a boat in high seas," the contractors said.
Click here to view more photos of the potholes on Sucker Garden Road.
