Citizens complain of Panama’s failing streets
(Panama Star) The holes in Panama City, those that so often make for a bumpy ride to the detriment of cars, were one of the main topics discussed in the Municipal Council earlier this week, as community representatives voiced their concerns to councilors and the Vice-Minister of Public Works who reiterated the government’s commitment to repairs.
Luis Manuel Henriquez, Vice-Minister of Public Works, said that to solve the urban problem, the Ministry is holding the “2009 working summer” plan, to fix and build roads in different communities of the city.
He said that the repair works that started last year have taken longer than expected because they were affected by rainfalls, and reiterated this government’s commitment to strengthening the road system. “This administration has the biggest budget in history to give the country streets that work,” he said.
The representative of Chilibre, Lourdes Romero, pointed out that internal roads in her area are in bad shape, causing trouble to both drivers and pedestrians.
She also reminded the Vice-Minister that the repairs of the part of Via Transistmica that leads towards Colon are still not complete and that is causing many problems because of its poor condition.
The representative from San Francisco, Carlos Perez Herrera, recognized the work by the Public Works Ministry, but indicated that due to the great number of construction works in the area, streets have deteriorated.
Among the most affected are the one leading to Coco del Mar and the one leading to Carrasquilla.
Perez Herrera asked the construction companies to take responsibility for the damage they are causing the streets.
