For years, residents of St Philip have raised urgent alarms over crumbling, unsafe road infrastructure across the parish, and their calls for action have finally yielded results: more than a dozen local roads are marked for full resurfacing, while targeted lighting and junction improvements will also address long-standing safety and mobility concerns. Transport and Works Minister Kirk Humphrey made the official announcement Monday evening during the St Philip Ideas Forum, hosted at Princess Margaret Secondary School, where residents gathered to share decades of frustrations with neglected thoroughfares.
Attendees centered much of their discussion on the poor condition of high-traffic and residential routes, including Ebenezer, Marchfield, Mangrove, Train Road and Farm Road. They also flagged persistent flooding near the Wynter Crawford Roundabout, which stems from uneven, degraded road surfaces that disrupt drainage and trap water during heavy storms.
Longtime St Philip resident Andrea Drayton was among the community members who pushed for immediate work on Farm Road, arguing that upgrading the heavily deteriorated corridor would cut crippling congestion on routes leading into Six Roads. Drayton explained, “A huge volume of traffic coming into Six Roads relies on Congo Road, and right now Farm Road is nearly impassable for many drivers. If we resurface Farm Road to make it usable, it will give motorists an alternative route into Six Roads, easing the pressure on the Congo Road corridor.”
Carl Padmore, a 50-plus-year resident of Marchfield Village, shared that the core Marchfield Village Road stretch has never received a full, major resurfacing in his lifetime. “All we’ve ever gotten are small patchwork fixes,” Padmore explained, detailing the 2-mile stretch that runs from the gap opposite Traynor Road near the Church of Christ, out to the four-cross intersection, through the section locally called Suckhole past the former attorney general’s residence, around Zion Pentecostal Church, and out to the local market. “Any time we get heavy rain, that entire route becomes almost impossible to traverse. The whole stretch is in desperate need of comprehensive repair.”
In response, Humphrey confirmed that funding has already been secured for over 10 roads across St Philip, with construction set to kick off imminently. He listed the approved projects: “Steward Hill, Culpepper Development, Bottom Bay, Content, Ocean City Main, Foul Bay Beach Road, Harmony Lodge, Atlantic Ridge, Halton to Ebenezer, and Marchfield Village Road are all fully funded. We also have major infrastructure funding from the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF) for two additional large-scale projects: the Woodbourne development corridor and the route from St Patrick’s to Charnocks.”
Humphrey added that while a small number of projects are still waiting on final design approvals, the vast majority are ready to move into construction. “St Philip residents can rest assured that every one of these roads will be addressed in the very near future,” he said. “This is not an empty promise — we already have the resources allocated for these works.”
The meeting also touched on persistent safety hazards at the junction near St Philip Parish Church, where local resident Alan Hart noted a repeated pattern of preventable accidents, caused by poor sightlines for speeding drivers. Hart called for vegetation clearing, junction widening, and new lighting to reduce crash risk. Humphrey confirmed that the dangerous junction would be prioritized for upgrades, noting that road infrastructure is as much about public safety as it is about mobility. “Roads don’t just move people — they have to keep people safe,” he said. “We’ve assessed the junction, and we will fix the hazard there.”
Drayton also raised the issue of missing street lighting along the Highway 5 corridor between Sky Mall and Six Roads, saying that the unlit sections in undeveloped, non-residential areas force her to take longer, less direct routes home after dark. “There are long stretches with no lighting at all, and it’s extremely dangerous to drive that route at night,” she explained. “Most nights, I end up rerouting through the airport just to get home safely.” In response, a technical advisor from the Ministry of Transport and Works noted that solar-powered street lighting is under consideration for the corridor, pending supply chain availability for the required equipment.