As Antigua and Barbuda prepares for its April 30 general election, Dwayne George, the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) candidate for the St. Mary’s South constituency, has made a bold infrastructure promise at the core of his campaign: the construction of a new vehicular bridge connecting the long-separated communities of Bolands and Jennings.
Speaking in a recent interview on the Antigua Broadcasting Service’s (ABS) flagship candidate engagement series *Know Your Candidate*, George framed the proposed crossing as a decades-overdue solution to a persistent transportation barrier in the region. For generations, residents of the two neighboring communities have lacked a direct overland connection, forcing commuters, commercial operators, and emergency services to rely on circuitous, longer routes to travel between key parts of the constituency. George, a lifelong resident of the area, recalled childhood memories of walking the old footpath between Bolands and Jennings, an experience that shaped his belief that a permanent fixed crossing is critical to the area’s growth.
Beyond eliminating the daily inconvenience of indirect travel, George positions the bridge as a dual-purpose project that will upgrade local infrastructure and unlock new economic opportunity for St. Mary’s South, where fishing, agriculture, and tourism are the foundational pillars of the local economy. He explained that a direct crossing would cut travel times for local taxi operators that serve the island’s busy southwest coast tourism corridor, particularly improving access to popular destinations like Jolly Harbour. Faster, more reliable connectivity between communities would also make it easier for local producers in the fishing and agriculture sectors to get their goods to market and for visitors to access a wider range of local attractions, boosting income across the constituency’s key economic sectors.
George also emphasized the bridge’s critical public safety value, noting it would serve as a vital alternative route during emergencies. If existing primary corridors face closure due to crashes, extreme weather, or planned maintenance, the crossing would provide emergency responders, medical services, and local residents with a reliable diversion to avoid being stranded.
Despite the widespread public discussion of a Bolands-Jennings connection stretching back decades, George’s proposal leaves several key questions unanswered. The candidate has not released any estimates of the project’s total cost, outlined a potential construction timeline, or confirmed whether the bridge is integrated into any existing national infrastructure development plan. Unresolved questions also remain around the project’s broader feasibility, including potential environmental impacts on the local area and where the funding for the project will be sourced.
The proposal is one of several constituency-specific commitments George has rolled out as part of his election campaign, cementing infrastructure and improved mobility as central policy priorities for his bid to win the St. Mary’s South seat in the upcoming general vote.