A Paved King Hill Road Is Needed

Editor:

I read the October 15-21, 2007, letter [from Joanne Sica] about the paving of King’s Hill Road, and in response to your letter I have a few comments. I am also a resident of St. John or, I should say, I am from St. John and I have resided in Coral Bay for many years.

You stated that “King Hill is not only the oldest road on St. John but also the oldest neighborhood.” I believe that now we need a two-lane paved road in Coral Bay. I have seen many changes on St. John and always wanted to know why we are living on an island with only one way in and one way out.

his is how it was many years ago when we used to play in the roads without a lot of traffic, but things changed and people came to the island with big ideas and dreams.

We had no choice but to deal with the changes. Cars will be driving by your house, your kids and dogs will not be able to play in the road anymore. It’s simple — you have a yard so have them play in the yard.

The King Hill Road is needed very much for Coral Bay. For example, every time there is an accident on Centerline Road the traffic is backed up for a very long time. When we have a lot of rain and the road is blocked with trees and stones, what are you going to do? It will also cut down on traffic.

There are times when you are on your way to or from Coral Bay and you meet a Prime truck, a Coca-Cola truck, a tractor trailer, the VITRAN bus, a school bus, or even water trucks on the road and it’s going to take you from a 20 minute drive to a 35 to 40 minute drive.

I go to work for 8 a.m. and I have to leave from home at 7 a.m. to beat the rush and traffic. In case of an emergency, fire trucks or even an ambulance needs to get in or out of Coral Bay. We even have the 8 Tuff Miles run that holds up the traffic. Those runners can use the whole road and not have to worry about any cars coming round the next corner.

Try leaving home at 8 a.m. for work and you are late by over an hour because you were delayed by an accident. You are only thinking of yourself but what about the community of Coral Bay who will have another access to Cruz Bay or North Shore Road? We need King Hill Road — you may be grateful one day.

 
Sincerely,
Alston “Big Al” Smith