Something has been bothering me since earlier this week when it dawned on me that for all the reported damage that was done to the island's road network during the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav; I don't recall hearing or reading one single report of any of the toll roads sustaining any damage at all.

Now, why is that?

And why is it that one company can build a roadway that sustained virtually no damage from torrential rainfall while another company builds one that is almost totally destroyed, like the roadway along the Bog Walk gorge and most of the other roads that are not toll roads?

Every time we get heavy rains, whether it's from a hurricane, storm or any such weather condition, we can pretty much take it for granted that Government is going to have to spend billions of Jamaican dollars - an estimated eight billion this time alone - repairing and in some cases rebuilding our roads.

AMEND THE RULES

The way I see it, if the roads are built properly to begin with whenever we have one of these deluges we save ourselves a few billion dollars that could be well spent elsewhere.

And the money we save adds up to quite a bit.

So isn't it time we amended the rules a lit bit to include guarantees that the work done can pass muster whenever it is put to the test?

I think so.

Because these are some of the same people who having built these shoddy roads are living in houses upon the hills overlooking the city and as everybody knows the foundations for those houses have to be sturdy or else they can get washed away.

So if they can get the foundations of their homes to withstand the onslaught of torrents of water shouldn't they be able to put in similar foundations for the roads they build down below?

You see I know a little about putting down roads. Members of my family are in the business overseas and they are held to certain standards when given contracts to put down roads.

And the way they build them there, it is not the same way they are being built here.

You check those highways that are still standing and take a closer look at what lies beneath the black top and you will see what I am talking about.

AGENT OF CHANGE

Bruce Golding sold himself as an agent of change, this is one area where change is needed and needed now.

Make the contractors earn the money they make from us. Anybody can build a dry-weather road but that is not what we need.

We live in a hurricane belt and we need roads that can withstand such conditions.

We are a poor country and we will continue to remain poor if we keep throwing our money down the drain with the flood waters.

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