In a visitor advisory, this was the reply to the question: What are the roads like in Jamaica? “Most roads are paved, but suffer from ill repair, inadequate signage, large potholes, and poor traffic control markings. Roads are often subject to poorly marked construction zones, pedestrians, bicyclists, and occasionally, livestock. The lack of pedestrian crosswalks requires special vigilance for all pedestrians.” Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Almost daily in this country, in living memory, there is a roadblock taking place somewhere in Jamaica as irate citizens protest the horrible conditions of the roads they have to traverse. The current stand-off in St Thomas, where angry residents have taken to the streets to vent their disgust and impatience with the almost impassable state of some roads in their respective communities is symptomatic of a national problem that has plagued this nation for decades. Against this backdrop, let us bear in mind that Jamaica is among the countries that reputedly have the greatest number of roads per square mile in the world.

It is no secret that the issue of road repair is inextricably bound to the country’s politics as it is primarily the responsibility of both local and central governments to provide and maintain suitable roadways across the length and breadth of this country. But the sad truth is that, in real terms, our politicians have failed for the most to deliver on the many promises they have made over the years to seemingly gullible citizens who continue to “live in Hope but die in Constant Spring”.

One ugly aspect of the issues surrounding road repair is that it has been the bedrock of pork barrel politics. In other words, politicians and their operatives over these many years have been the beneficiaries of the many corrupt practices associated with road construction and repairs. It is well known, for example, that contractors are carefully chosen at the behest of Members of Parliament and councillors, and it is the norm — which no doubt will be vigorously denied — for these people to be rewarded with kickbacks.

Of course, one of the side effects of this corrupt practice is that very often the contractors have to cut corners in order to make a profit at the end of the project. This ugly underbelly of Jamaican politics continues to be bar and verandah talk but has never been frontally tackled in Parliament as it is perhaps seen as one of those sacred cows of Jamaica’s corrupt political system based on the principle (as well as practice) of you scratch my back and I scratch yours.

As a result of this practice the people continue to suffer consistently from poorly constructed or ill-repaired roads. In this vein, what has been very puzzling to many observers is: How is it that when the bauxite companies or other foreign entities build roads they last much longer?

Older citizens will recall the days of the once-revered and competent Public Works Department (PWD) when roads were reinforced with “rockstones”, oftentimes broken by women, and not marl. It is interesting to note that in a recent interview former Prime Minister PJ Patterson, when asked what regrets, if any, he had during his tenure, the man dubbed by many as Mr Infrastructure because of his focus on building highways, remarked that the one such regret was the disbanding of the PWD. So true.

In the meantime, it is perhaps fair to say that two of the current villains in the piece in this ongoing saga of road rage are the National Works Agency (NWA) and the National Water Commission (NWC). In the case of the former, that body appears to spend much of its time on the defensive as so many of the road construction projects across the island are lacking in transparency, reeking with mediocrity as well as plagued by overspending and an apparent lack of accountability in some instances. Meanwhile, the NWC is notorious for digging up roads, some of them just newly built or repaired, thus causing inordinate delays and much discomfort to pedestrians and motorists alike.

Of course, one of the most vexing issues is the use of marl on the nation’s roads. According to some experts, when water comes in contact with marl it swells. This means that when that substance is used to bind road surfaces the marl swells whenever it rains; therefore, when vehicles drive over it, the asphalt is easily disintegrated. Then there are other instances when marl alone is used to cover road surfaces to appease disgruntled citizens, but as soon as it rains the road surface is back to what it was before. Is it any wonder that after heavy showers of rain angry and vicious potholes appear out of nowhere?

To put it bluntly, the multi-million dollar question is: Why has marl become such a staple in road repairs and construction when it is painfully obvious that it is not the best material to be used for such a purpose? This means, in essence, that billions of dollars have been going down the drain — well, apart from the amounts that line the pockets of corrupt politicians and other beneficiaries of the politics of roads Anancy story.

Frankly, the time has come when a commission of enquiry should be set up to examine these untenable practices relating to road repairs and construction with a view to identifying a meaningful solution to ensure that roadworks last longer and that a suite of best practices is pursued, developed, and implemented in the best interest of a nation that is fed up with the current situation.

This writer is well aware that he may have “mashed some corns” in the process, but it is full time that this crisis surrounding the vexing issue of road repair is dealt with in a decisive way. Too much of the country’s resources are being wantonly wasted, too many productive man hours are being lost, and motorists have to be spending inordinate sums of money to maintain their vehicles, which are subject to roads persistently plagued by potholes.

The many trees that are being cut down to aid in the blocking of roads must also be noted with much concern, especially in an age of climate change when degradation of the environment is a troubling issue.

If Jamaica at 60 is to accomplishing the goals set out in the highly touted Vision 2030, then the politics of roads must take centre stage, in terms of tackling those issues which are important to the economic, social, and cultural development of Jamaica, land we love.

Lloyd B Smith has been involved in Jamaican media for the past 46 years. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. He hails from western Jamaica where he is popularly known as the Governor. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lbsmith4@gmail.com.