The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI) hereby informs of the temporary closure of a section of Ebenezer Road, i.e. the intersection of W.R. Plantz Road and Johannes C. Paap Road, as part of the Hillside Stabilization Project. This closure is necessary to facilitate critical construction and safety measures for the project.
The closure will be in effect from today, Monday, March 10 th 2025 to Wednesday, April 9th, 2025
The Hillside Stabilization Project is the Ministry’s response to severe erosion along the
Ebenezer Trench that has led to the collapse of this essential infrastructure. Over the years, this
has led to the inability of contractors to clean the trench and, in some cases, left residents of
Ebenezer prone to increased flooding.
In 2010 residents expressed concern over the manner in which excavation and construction were
taking place. In 2020 and 2021 letters were submitted to the Ministry highlighting eroding hill
face and impact of falling soil. Tropical storm rains in early August 2024 worsened the state of
erosion, leading to the collapse of a septic tank and cistern from a residence in the hills of Valley
Estate into the yard of neighbors below Ebenezer.
Upon taking office at the end of June, current Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, finalized the
halted three-year tender process for trench cleaning, issuing, in mid-August, the contracts for
regular maintenance. To support the operationalization of these contracts and to address the
complaints and concerns of the residents, the Ministry identified the repairs of the trench and the
stabilization of the eroded cliff face as critical. Assessments began at the end of August 2024 and
were completed in early February 2025.
The closing of this section of the road will facilitate mobilization, allowing the project to begin
with the creation of a staging area for equipment and dumpsters for removed debris (Phase One).
Phase two of the project will be the physical intervention into the hillside against erosion to
reduce the chances of landslides in the future.
In preparing the intervention, the Ministry received a report on the possible causes of the erosion,
which the Minister stated underscored, in particular, the importance of sound spatial planning.
This is aided by things like the civil works permit and continuous oversight by the inspection
department.
Minister Gumbs expressed his thanks to the residents of Ebenezer for their patience and their
trust in him, his team, and the Ministry; and apologizes for the inconvenience that addressing this
longstanding issue will inevitably have.