Dear Editor,

Millions of dollars was used to employ experts to propose the south coast highway. The people of the parish of St Thomas had waited patiently for this new highway. The experts, a consulting firm recommended by the IDB, did numerous studies and came up with the best fit road alignment considering all environmental and logistical factors. The new highway would be a higher quality roadway than the existing roadway for the future and generations to come.

The new highway would have brought billions of growth to the underdeveloped parish of St Thomas such as housing, business and, most of all, increase tourism. Ask the NHT when was the last time they designed a housing scheme for St Thomas.

However, much to the disappointment of the residents of St Thomas, the PM decided to scrap the recommendations of the experts and use the existing alignment and upgrade the existing road, which is tantamount to putting lipstick on a pig.

The residents of St Thomas use the roads everyday and we are telling you, Mr PM, that we need the new highway, please do not update the existing one. We have waited so long for this development; please do not deprive us of it. If you put lipstick on the pig, guess what, in five more years a new highway has to be built for St Thomas.

Mr PM, you promised the people transparency, please publish the consulting firm report that recommended the new highway and the report of the experts you used to decide to merely put lipstick on a pig.