Is an Ottley Hall – Lowmans bypass road a national security issue?

The views expressed herein are solely those of the writer.

The afternoon of April 4, 2023 was one of those times when people wished the Ottley Hall – Edinboro bypass road existed.

Two container trucks, headed from the port at Campden Park to Kingstown broke down on the main road, creating an impasse near the Lowmans Hill cemetery.

The solution? Drivers headed from Kingstown into Campden Park and Vice versa decided to head through the narrow one-lane road at Great House creating the traffic impasse of the year.

While this ordeal which lasted for hours was a nightmare for ordinary commuters, imagine what it would be like for someone with a medical emergency.

The road network in the area is so limited that national security may be hinged on it as one major event can cut off more than 20,000 people at once, at least where movement of people and goods via the road system are concerned.

This is not first time this has occurred. In 2017, a crane overturned at Grand Gate, Lowmans Hill and essentially disconnected all motorable traffic to and from the Leeward side into Kingstown.

Funerals, accidents, and the movement of heavy machinery and equipment also create or contribute to traffic problems at Lowmans Hill.

What if an alternative route can be constructed? Several issues including informal human settlement from the 1990s in the Buddy Gutter area have impeded plans to construct a bypass road from Ottley Hall through Buddy Gutter, through Lowmans Bay, and then to Campden Park.

The truth is: if an alternative route existed, the impact of the Lowmans Hill impasse would be relaxed. Such a bypass road may even contribute to economic activity or opportunities for residents of Edinboro, Ottley Hall, and Buddy Gutter/Lowmans Bay.