The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune. JUST my opinion on an article that I read yesterday concerning the borrowing of more money for the road works. Yesterday, I was indeed disappointed as I read the headline stating the government will need to borrow even more money, millions I should say, to complete the road works which seems as if it will never be done at this rate. "What? Sooo they're borrowing money for the road works again? Hmm..Ok!" - My reaction, perhaps the reaction of many. The project is $77 million over budget, in which $65 million will be borrowed, no one knows where the remaining $12 million will be coming from, and, of course, to no surprise, this will sink our already sinking ship further into debt, considering the state of the economy is not at its best. Need I mention that however long it takes for this loan to be approved, or if it will even be approved that is, that the roads will remain "dig up" and traffic will remain at its worst (especially in the Eastern area) for however long it takes for this other loan to go through. Until then, this means that the agony of drivers will continue - longer drives, more diversions, more traffic, more gas needed (keep in mind that gas prices are still increasing), and businesses closing down as a result of their customers' inability to get where they need to due to road closures. With all this borrowing of millions of dollars going on to invest in roads, let's keep in mind that breast cancer is on rise, Princess Margaret is in need of a new mammogram machine, and genetic counseling is needed here in The Bahamas. I'm not bashing the project in anyway, as I know the end result will be great, giving Nassau a deserving face lift. I'm just saying that perhaps other needs of the country should be considered, such as health needs and the lives at risk which is a major priority at the moment. This act seems to be the result of poor planning, poor organising (so many roads should not have been dug up at the same time), and worst of all, poor budgeting on the government's behalf because we should not have to be borrowing money, and so much this late into the project. Just my opinion. MS ADDERLEY Nassau, March 7, 2012.