What a bloody mess

I hear ya!

Hull Bay road has become increasingly treacherous to traverse with its numerous gaping pits. These things are deep! Having to avoid them puts you in peril of oncoming traffic as they, too, try to avoid them.
The road by Zinky (sp?) Smith and the strip of bars in that location, heading to east end is terrible as well.

Do they make hovercraft tanks with turret guns?

I might add that Waste Management Authority needs to be disbanded. They do not manage waste. They manage contracts.
They should be renamed Waste Mismanagement Authority.

I had to take items to the dump on Thursday and the place is an appalling and unsightly, horrendous mess!

At least they painted all the potholes on Hull Bay Road. Now I can see them better in the dark

They missed a few.

I noticed that. Like ones right next to ones they painted. Also the entire bottom of the hill that needs to be fixed where that road work barricade has been sitting forever

Here in Pennsylvania, pot hole season is in full swing. I've popped more than one tire and bent more than one aluminum rim in my lifetime. A couple of years ago I employed non low profile snow tires and steel rims for winter and early spring. Haven't had a tire problem since,.....this is with a regular car. Probably the best way to deal with lousy roads on island is a big vehicle (truck, jeep, SUV) with big tires and steel rims. It may not make the driving any safer but damage to the vehicle will be reduced.

I was on the island a few weeks ago. The roads are not in great condition for sure. But no worse than some other, more touristy, Caribbean destinations I've been on. I had some thoughts on this while on St. Croix. Please correct me if I am off...

1. I cannot imagine the nightmare of maintaining roads that are often subjected to rain, flooding, harsher, sea conditions.
2. I have traveled to and around various Caribbean islands (other developing countries) and have seen similar or worse.
3. I noticed, could be wrong, that the "main" roads are fine. I imagine that these are the roads that tourists are most likely to use?

Is there a way to inform the local officials of the road conditions? And dangers of their neglect?

Thanks.

We all need to buy stock in Island Roads.

They repair and replace road surfaces regularly. 6 months later, the roads need it again, or someone will dig up the newly, finally completed road up to install a new underground pipe or fiber optic line, after we've had use of one lane that's not dug up for repairs, for a year or more and they don't get resurfaced properly so it starts all over again. Even some of the main roads have issues. There is no prior proper planning in place, here. I drive a pick-up and wouldn't want to go into some of the craters that are on our roads. They would do damage.

I'm sure that stateside roads have more issues between freezing and thawing, the extremes in heat and cold than ours do. It would be nice to drive for more than 5 minutes on a smooth road.

There's a vast difference between STX and STT when it comes to topography. The Hull Bay Road on STT is a "main road" but nothing like the STX highway which is a heavenly flat stretch in comparison. The roads would be far less of a nightmare to maintain if the job were done properly in the first place. I can't speak for STX but the contractor here never properly preps the base, just sweeps out the loose debris and then plonks another glob of asphalt into the hole which loosens up in the next major downpour. It's nothing new, has been going on for donkey's years.

Complain? Of course, many of us do and write letters to the Commissioner begging for relief (my latest will go out next week) but even when a reply is forthcoming it's a "sorry wait and see" panacea which means zilch. I'm sure Mr Mapp will ensure that the road in front of HIS expensive rental is kept up to par. Heaven forbid his corpulent frame be jostled. 😀

In the meantime, my car goes in for a front end alignmernt very soon along with some related front end work and my old body also needs serious re-alignment from being thumped around so much. It should be mandated that a chiropractic service be situated next to every auto body shop which specializes in suspension work and deals be made - two for the price of one.

(tu)

at least some of pot holes will be filled in soon. it is almost time for the triathlon

We all need to buy stock in Island Roads.

I'm sure that stateside roads have more issues between freezing and thawing, the extremes in heat and cold than ours do. It would be nice to drive for more than 5 minutes on a smooth road.

Good point. I also suspect that the materials used and process is more haphazard than on the mainland. Good to hear that they are being repaired (attempted) every six months or so... 🙂

I am rethinking and considering replacing one of our family-friendly vehicles and purchasing a jeep.

at least some of pot holes will be filled in soon. it is almost time for the triathlon

On STX yes. We don't hold our breath on STT as we don't host a triathlon ...

As long as you aren't driving something that has very little clearance between the road, the body of the vehicle and the muffler, you'll be fine. On STT, we have steep, curving, winding roads more so than STX. The attitude towards fixing the roads is that it'll get done, if and when they get around to it.

I like OT's idea of one stop shopping with chiropractors located at your auto repair sites. Seriously!

but of course ot. we get our pot holes filled every year on the triathlon route

Back to what started Old Tart's need for venting this morning was the Source article on the Bovoni fire that destroyed the new gas collection system.

http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2015/04/10/bovoni-fire-destroyed-gas-collection-system

My friend sent me this letter that she sent to all of our present sitting Senators and the Daily News and I believe "it tells it like it is" so I am going to share it with you.

"Honorable Senators:

Apologies in advance for the frustration you will notice in this forwarded letter, written to your predecessors last year. It's honestly hard to know what to say after a point, when now again, we read in the VI Source yesterday about WMA's latest request for putting good money after bad, and toward yet more hazards to the public and employees. So I'll just forward this letter sent to the previous VI Legislature.

The VI Government has received very public cautionary notes on these things. I believe we have had enough high profile tragedy (reported in the national news) in recent weeks. Let's please get this house in order in ways that are physically safe, based on good science and common sense, and are fiscally sound.

Linked below, article from the Source, from yesterday's news.

Regards, Susan Parten, P.E.

Bovoni Fire Destroyed Gas Collection System

"An underground fire in the Bovoni Landfill destroyed its new multi-million dollar methane collection system and the VI Waste Management Authority needs millions of dollars to replace it and to complete closing the landfills, WMA Chief Operating Officer Steve Aubain told senators Friday."

-----Original Message-----From: sueparten To: judi ; dcapehart ; dcole ; kgittens ; cgraham ; ahansen ; mjackson ; senatormalone ; troach ; cpayne ; teamnellie ; smmalone1 ; jyoung ; payne.clarence ; sammuelsanes ; positive__1 ; craig ; edorsett Sent: Wed, Mar 12, 2014 11:26 am Subject: More Expensive and Demoralizing Bad Choices

Open Letter to VI Legislators.

Dear Senators:

We read this morning in the VI Daily News about how the millions of dollars worth of infrastructure spent at the Bovoni “Landfill” to capture methane gas just isn’t “panning out”. Surprise, surprise….

I’m attaching a Daily News op-ed printed this past fall – and just one week prior to the explosion at the gas station next to Bovoni. That article is attached also.

As the Op-Ed attempts to caution, how in the world would anyone who respects the laws of science and physics think that methane gas is going to head directly for a gas collection pipe, when the whole mountainous dump is unlined, with nothing to prevent that gas from heading straight along all of the paths of least resistance? Do VIWMA’s Director Cornwall and her technical staff view methane gas as a retriever dog, to be summoned whenever and wherever they decide it should go? Are some of us surprised when this past September a massive explosion and fire occurred at a neighboring gas station? No.

It’s far past time for mincing words and being polite. The truth is that the combination of ignorance and arrogance is a very expensive and dangerous thing.

At what point are you, and whomever may assume the governor’s office, going to demand that whoever directs critical local programs is going to be (1) competent, including a full commitment to hire likewise competent staff and dig further into facts when things “don’t add up”, (2) is honest, and is absent blinding arrogance and cronyism.

WAPA operations provide a whole other litany of examples on waste and failures, including theirs and VIEOs involvement in this nonsensical gas collection project.

Many within the territory have some notion that hiring well-trained and competent persons from outside the territory “deprives locals of jobs”. That could not be further from the truth. Rather, failing to hire competent program heads and staff is bankrupting the territory, squandering precious resources and killing the local culture and economy. Competent program heads know how to create local jobs! And they are not paralyzed by arrogance and ignorance, only to watch the world come tumbling down around them. We would have full-blown recycling and composting operations on-line today that would have been operational for years, had you and the governor simply demanded competent management. And there are few industries that create more local jobs than recycling, with that being just one small example of what other communities are doing worldwide to solve multifaceted problems.

I believe the governor's facial expression in the photo in the Gas Works explosion says it all --- utter and complete failure to protect and serve the interests of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Turning this around seems to fall to your collective body, along with helping make sure that whoever assumes the governor’s role next year is going to make the oft-times tough decisions to forge sound paths forward, and make the Virgin Islands the place that it can and should be."

Regards,

Susan Parten, P.E.

Based on what one local paving contractor told me, it's not the contractor's fault that the roads are crappy. If the funding is not there, it's not going to get done, or done right. The contractor will advise the government on what it takes to do a job correctly, such as preparing a good road base, but ultimately the paving company can only do what the contract and the funding calls for. Often, that means a poorly-prepared base and/or patch-work.

It's especially challenging to maneuver around potholes that have been turned into speed bumps, only to return to potholes in the next storm. The road department chief truly lives up to his last name. "Think Small!"

On STX we get our potholes "fixed" a few time a year. Triathlon and whenever Biden visits

On STX we get our potholes "fixed" a few time a year. Triathlon and whenever Biden visits

The best we can hope for on STT is when Mapp puts together his official motorcade for trips across the island when his favored routes will be immediately repaved to protect the shiny fleet and the accompanying VIPD security motorcyclists fore and aft ...

I got tired of not seeing the potholes on my road so I bought bright orange paint and circled them. To my amazement, sometime later they were all filled.

Aside from all the wonderful entertainment and activities of Carnival every year, I look forward to the annual filling of the potholes ritual along the parade route.

Has anyone/a group of people ever tried to sue the government for the damage on their vehicles? I mean I am sure it wouldn't get far if it's even possible at all but if enough people joined in it could make some stir? I agree with you OT I think it's absolutely ridiculous to be planning anything at all whatsoever when we can't get the fundamentals of non-dangerous roads and no litter for our tourists.

You can't sue a government - falls under "sovereign immunity".

You can definitely sue a government. Sometimes you can even win.