It happened again at the weekend. Sea water, sand, stones and debris made travelling on the Palisadoes road difficult. It was, we believe, another warning from nature that this road in its present state is at risk of being inundated and rendered useless.

Quite frankly, we are growing uneasy with the fact that we have had to raise this issue so often in these columns. But if that's what it takes to get the authorities to acknowledge that we are courting grave danger by neglecting to deal with the imperfections of this road, and to actually do something about it, we will continue to highlight this problem.

The previous administration obviously did not share our concern about the Palisadoes road. For they did precious little to address the problem, despite spending millions of dollars on renovating the Norman Manley International Airport.

But what purpose will this impressive new-look airport serve if, God forbid, it is cut off from the rest of the island because of this seeming indecision to give priority to repairing the only access road to the airport and, equally crucial, the town of Port Royal where hundreds of Jamaicans still live?

The thought of that happening is indeed frightening, and we would do well to press the gas on the necessary corrective measures, as we have, too often, been served notice of what will happen from neglect.

Lest anyone forget, Hurricane Ivan's storm surges in September 2004 threw huge mounds of sand and stones onto the road, blocking it for two days.

Last August, Hurricane Dean did similar damage. Then, however, it took emergency crews just over half-a-day to clear the road.

On November 26 last year, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) advised motorists using the Palisadoes to exercise extreme caution after 25-knot winds pushed sea water onto the road. At that time, the ODPEM said that the water incursion was expected to continue for two days.

Our sister publication, the Sunday Observer, last May reported Professor Edward Robinson from the University of the West Indies' Marine Geology Unit as saying that since Hurricane Ivan, the average height above sea level of the dunes on the Palisadoes is probably less than one metre, whereas before Ivan the road was partly protected by sand dunes about two metres high.

Last week, another of our sister titles, the Business Observer, reported that one of the major airlines that has bid to acquire the majority stake in Air Jamaica, has included in its bid a proposal to lift the Palisadoes road above sea level and to fund the venture as well.
It is a proposal that we hope the Government is giving serious thought. Of course, we don't expect that the administration will be dazzled by that offer and sign over Air Jamaica without ensuring that the successful bidder meets all the criteria, as laid out by the Government, and that the country gets value for money from the deal.
The big question we have, however, is whether nature will prevent our worst fear being realised at the upcoming hurricane season, given that the Government does not expect to complete the Air Jamaica divestment before March 2009.

We note, though, that Mr Mike Henry, the minister of transport and works, has said that the Government has already applied to the Caribbean Development Bank for a US$25-million loan to fix the road.

That loan can't be granted too soon, because the window between now and the 2008 hurricane season is a mere few months away. And whoever is awarded the contract should be made aware that they will be subject to intense scrutiny. For the Palisadoes road is too vital an infrastructure with which to play around.

Executive Class

Gardens with Gravel

Death to the Mullet!