Work on a Southampton Road reflects a renewed commitment to repairing roads across the island, the Minister of Public Works and Environment pledged today.

Jaché Adams said the overhaul on Church Road would include repaving and safety measures, such as speed humps, updated road markings and better signage.

He added other safety improvements were being installed in several other parishes as maintenance crews conducted island-wide repaving.

Mr Adams said: “Ultimately, roads are not just about asphalt and infrastructure — they are about people.

“They are about ensuring that our children can travel to school safely and that our communities can move around with confidence.”

Residents of Church Road have long called for enhanced safety measures to protect its vulnerable population.

Linda Smith, the area MP and Shadow Minister for Public Works and Environment, criticised Mr Adams last month for a “curt” response to their concerns.

The street is home to two schools and two churches, which Mr Adams said created a “significant level of pedestrian activity” throughout the week.

He said: “Because of this concentration of activity, the ministry’s civil highway engineers conducted an impact assessment following concerns that were raised.

“That assessment confirmed the need for a comprehensive traffic calming programme designed to improve safety for everyone, especially the children who use this corridor.”

He added: “I recognise that residents in other communities may ask why these improvements are being made here first.

“As a ministry, we must make decisions based on engineering assessments, road usage, public safety and the areas where our interventions can have the greatest impact.”

Mr Adams recognised the condition of roads across the island were “not where they should be”.

He said: “We understand the frustration caused by potholes and deteriorating road surfaces.

“They affect daily commutes, raise safety concerns and inconvenience the thousands of residents who rely on our roads each day.”

Mr Adams added that “above-average rainfall” over the past year only worsened the problem, describing water as “one of the most damaging elements to road safety”.

Mr Adams said maintenance teams were inspecting roads across the island for defects and marking them with spray paint for repairs.

He said major paving was done along Rose Hill and Ferry Reach in St George’s; the Flatts Village area of Smith’s; Spanish Point Road, St John’s Road in Pembroke; Orange Valley Road in Devonshire, and Verdmont Road in Smith’s.

Mr Adams added that traffic-calming installations such as rumble strips and pedestrian lights had improved safety along Spice Hill in Warwick, Parsons Road in Pembroke and Brighton Hill in Devonshire.

He said: “These improvements demonstrate that, while we recognise there is still much more to do, we are not standing still. We are making progress.”

He said his ministry partnered with Surface Expertise Limited to pave on Middle Road from Lighthouse Hill, Southampton, to Longford Hill Road, Warwick.

He added the Government would take that time to focus on the upcoming Swing Bridge project in St George’s.

Mr Adams said, following this, crews will move to Palmetto Road in Devonshire before heading into the Crawl Hill and Shelly Bay areas.

He said: “We believe it is important for the public to have visibility not only into the work we have complete, but also into the work we intend to undertake in the immediate future.”

Mr Adams recognised that maintaining the island’s roads would be “ongoing work” that required co-ordination and adaptability.

He added: “Years of wear and tear cannot be reversed overnight, but that cannot become an excuse for inaction.

“Our responsibility is to keep moving forward, to continue investing, to continue improving and to continue delivering for the people of Bermuda.”