BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ACCESS to the South East Peninsula Road has been temporarily blocked by a number of large boulders that fell from one of the Timothy Hill cliffs earlier today.
SKNVibes received a call about midmorning (Aug. 23) which indicated that boulders had tumbled from the 50-foot-plus cliff.
Upon visiting the scene, this publication observed a number of vehicles, including taxis carrying passengers, which were unable to access that portion of the road. However, there were no injuries or damage to life, limb or property.
Foreman of the Roads Department in the Public Works Department (PWD), Raymond ‘Smiley’ Browne told SKNVibes that sometime after 9:00 this morning he received a call indicating that boulders had descended from the cliff and had made the road impassable.
“I received the call sometime after 9:00 or minutes to 10 indicating that some stones came down and the road is impassable. We saw that there were some boulders which actually made the road impassable indeed. However, the problem is not that, but it is that there are some loose boulders on the top of the cliff. So we are not sure about how much damage is going to be created.”
He said the Road Department moved expeditiously to make an alternative route accessible to the public while the cleanup effort is underway.
“We are not sure as to when we will start cleaning up because there are loose stones on the top; vibration could cause them to move. So we have to go on the top a little later today, make an assessment of what is going on and how we will deal with the situations and then move forward. In the meantime, we are making the access road that we have prepared, accessible or usable to the traffic so that they can still get their business done.”
Browne made an appeal to motorists using the South East Peninsula to avoid entering the blocked portion of the road and cautioned that to do so would be placing oneself in unnecessary danger.
“As you see, we have the cones there and we are asking people not to pass them because we are not sure of the threat and what will happen because of the loose stones. If you enter and you enter on your own risk, I cannot say what will happen and I can’t do anything about that. But the area is cordoned off and you should not go into the area that is cordoned off.”
Head of the Traffic Department, Inspector Cromwell Henry, similarly cautioned road users.
“The South East Peninsular Road, the area that passes through the Timothy Hill is currently closed due to fallen rock from the hillside. It is impassable as this time and currently work is being done to clear the rocks from the road. We are therefore appealing to the public to avoid using the road unless absolutely necessary to do so. There is a bypass road that has been prepared for temporary use and we are asking persons to use that road cautiously.”
