Cap-Haïtien residents rejoice as road construction project eases traffic and reduce dust

By Onz Chery and Stevenson Pierre Joseph

CAP-HAITIEN — Taxi-driver Dieuphète Bell’s car came to a sudden stop when he was driving back home from church with his wife and three of his children on an afternoon in September 2023. Bell had driven into a pothole on an unpaved road in Fort Saint-Michel, an area on the outskirts of downtown Cap-Haïtien. He attempted to drive his vehicle, a beige 1993 Toyota Corona, out of the pothole, but in vain, because underneath the vehicle was severely damaged.

Bell, a 50-year-old beardless and bald man, stood near where he drove into the pothole on Tuesday afternoon and couldn’t help but to smile — because that road is now asphalted.

“We’re comfortable now because we’re getting roads,” Bell said. “I’ll be happy if they finish this [road construction project]. It’s a headache for us, drivers. It affects us mentally because the parts of our cars are always breaking from driving on these bad roads. We’re always spending money. This hurts a lot.”

Cap-Haïtien began a road and sidewalk construction project last month, bringing joy to scores of residents who have been getting manhandled by the unpaved bumpy roads for years. 

The road construction started in Carrefour Aviation, an area near the international airport, and has only been completed to a nearby neighborhood, Fort Saint-Michel, so far. The project is part of Cap-Haïtien’s preparation for the city’s 354th anniversary celebration on Aug. 15.

A project beyond just roads and sidewalks 

However, the project goes beyond the city’s celebration since it is lessening the misery of scores of residents in different aspects of their day-to-day lives. For starters, traffic has significantly sped up in Fort Saint-Michel and Carrefour Aviation, drivers said. Bumper to bumper traffic is a dilemma residents have been navigating through for years on Route National #3 partially because of the parts of the road that are not asphalted. 

At times, drivers and passengers could be stuck in traffic for more than two hours when their destinations are just a few miles away. The lines of traffic usually consist of cars and taxi motorcycles—both  two-wheels and three-wheels.

The completed road on Route National #3 between Fort Saint-Michel and Carrefour Aviation has also decreased the amount of dust in the streets, residents said. Boiled eggs and grilled corn street-seller Rosianne ‘Foufoune’ Pierre used to have trouble sleeping at night because her eyes would itch and get puffy after spending the day sitting near Route National #3. Pierre’s nose would also burn and her throat would itch at night. However, she never went to the hospital due to lack of funds.

“I used to suffer a lot before I could fall asleep,” Pierre, 43, said. “When I closed my eyes they used to burn. It’s [the dust] less now. Things are better now. I feel much better than before.”

Additionally, Pierre has been having more customers because the amount of dust has decreased, she added. She sells boiled eggs in the morning and grilled corn in the afternoon and evening.

The start of the road construction has also decreased drivers’ risk of their vehicles getting damaged. Bell spent 7,500 gourdes, or about $56 (USD), to repair his vehicle when he drove into the pothole last year. He repairs the bottom part of his vehicle every six months.

The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications has yet to be available for an interview to provide details about the road construction project. 

Sidewalk project by the numbers

But, as for the sidewalk construction part of the project, as of Tuesday afternoon, workers built 442 meters of the 625 meters of the remainder of the project. The entire project stretches to about 1,600 meters. The Engineering and National Expertise Office (BIEN) is leading the project that started on June 28 and is estimated to end next week, lead engineer Kendy Felissaint told The Haitian Times. 

About 18 workers have been constructing the sidewalks on a daily basis. As opposed to other construction work in Haiti, the workers have not been in lack of materials but the only difficulties they have been facing is having to work on a sidewalk all over again because pedestrians stepped on the cement or motorcycles drivers rode of it. 

Felissaint could not provide how much funds was poured into the project but said it requires 1,710 bags of cement, weighing 93.7 pounds each. All of the bags of cement have already been provided.

“We’re taking long steps,” Felissaint said. “It’s a pride for me to give my support, my courage, and do my job as engineer to serve the people.”

Project must be completed, residents said

However, some residents fear that the project will not be completed because they have seen so many other meaningful projects start but went unfinished. Carrefour Aviation to Fort Saint-Michel is only a small portion in Cap-Haïtien, meaning several other areas are in need of asphalted roads and sidewalks such as in Petite-Anse, Vaudreuil, Haut-du-Cap, Lòtbò Pon and more.

“They can start it and not finish,” taxi-moto driver Harome Gracia, 30, said. “If they finish it, that’s when I will be completely comfortable and happy in what they’re doing. But this is very important for us, for people with vehicles and pedestrians.”

The post Cap-Haïtien residents rejoice as road construction project eases traffic and reduce dust appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Cap-Haïtien residents rejoice as road construction project eases traffic and reduce dust was first posted on July 19, 2024 at 10:51 am.