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Nope, they went to Seashore Drive, street of the rich and famous. We asked councilor with responsibility for north side works, Roger Espejo, why, oh why:..

Jules Vasquez
"Why pave a street that has some of the richest homes - or the most palatial homes - in the country, when there are so many streets that need work?"

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"Jules, you are absolutely right. Many streets need assistance, but that has nothing to do with how you go about deciding, you know, that this street doesn't deserve - you are assuming that it doesn't. This is a principal thoroughfare, I'll have you know. It's a portion of seashore drive that we are paving today. It's 500 feet, approximately 500 linear feet, and it comes right into one of the more principal thoroughfares, the University Boulevard - which, as you know, is a very well used area. This area is used to exit or enter this entire community behind us. Taxpayers also deserve infrastructure. Everybody does. So, that was neither here nor there in the recommendation of this street."

Jules Vasquez
"However, you can't also change the fact that the Prime Minister's sister lives on this street, and the Prime Minister lives a few hundred feet up on Seashore Drive. "

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"Well, that was never disputed."

Jules Vasquez
"Yeah, but I'm saying are you trying to win an election, or I would think if you are trying to win an election, you would pave the street where the most people live that can help out the most people. When you pave a street like this it seems that you are playing favorites."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"No, Jules. As I mentioned just now, the street is a major thoroughfare for this entire area. The fact that the prime minister lives in this area, what does that have to do with it?"

Jules Vasquez
"Baymen Avenue is a major thoroughfare, and it is in a disastrous state."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"And I'll have you know that other streets are being looked at as well, and others will be developed. You asked me a short while ago when is Lizarraga avenue - that's another main area in a residential community. That will be started in about a week's time."

Jules Vasquez
"It seems that in determining priority, you all may be playing favorites in terms of, this is a used street, but this is not a much used street by most of the citizenry as a thoroughfare that goes between major areas of human occupation and use."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"Jules, that's a subjective statement. A lot of people use this street. This is a..."

Jules Vasquez
"A lot of important people to you use this street, maybe."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"No, a lot of people in general, people that use this area. It's a thoroughfare equally as deserving as any other. If you are saying that the percentage of people that use this street is not as much, I would concede."

"But we are looking at other streets as well. That's what I am saying to counter argue your comment."

Jules Vasquez
"You are saying I have a subjective opinion. Indeed I do in so far as I do not have any data."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"I'm glad you admit to that."

Jules Vasquez
"But you don't have any data either. You cannot tell me how many cars use this as opposed to you say…. And if we are going to talk north side because we do not want to go south side, that's not a pretty sight. But, Douglas Jones Street for example, Wilson Street - that's one of the worst streets - and those are traffic streets now. Those are what people used to get around the city. I am saying that is there a volume metric - something that determines volumes in these streets or do you just say 'PM lives around here'?"

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"Jules, I like when you bring these tactics. Let me skewer them a little bit for you."

Jules Vasquez
"Tell me."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"If you are asking for a survey, we don't have a survey. We have letters from the residents in this area. Letters upon letters asking City Hall time and time again for upgrades in their area because they do, firstly, point out that they are principal tax payers. No one will hide that the north side carries about 70% of the load in terms of the property taxes in this city. So we have to work with the people also Jules."

Jules Vasquez
"So then you admit that you are playing favorites because these people are high volume property tax payers. Some animals are more equal than others."

Roger Espejo- City Councilor
"That's not playing favorites. That's playing fair."

Fair or not, we moved our inquiry up a few pay scales and this afternoon went after Works Minister Boots Martinez in the same area.

He said the paving is justified because it is a bigger part of the plan to alleviate traffic congestion:..

Jules Vasquez
"It has come under some criticism because it's rich man street. It has three palatial mansions, and the Prime Minister's sister is on the next side."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Minister of Works
"But apart from that, isn't this a main thoroughfare?"

Jules Vasquez
"Is it a main thoroughfare?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"It is a main thoroughfare. Don't you see it leads to boulevard? Apart from that, this is part of the loop that we have been fixing around Mercy Divine Church. We have done Golden Avenue; that is almost close to Gulf Hotel. All those streets we try to make sure it's a main thoroughfare especially for the early morning traffic from the northern highway. Most people take this route who are going to the university and who are working at maybe the airstrip or BTL or whatsoever the case may be. This is a main thoroughfare."

Jules Vasquez
"Daly Street is a main thoroughfare. That's in a deplorable condition. How do you determine priority? This isn't a much traffic street."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"No man, don't talk about no traffic street. Probably what you might need to do, is to come here soon in the morning when there is that rush traffic from off the northern highway. But the priority, I am saying to you, there is more traffic coming on this northern highway than any other road in this country. So if you do the numbers, then you will know that off the northern highway about 7 - 7:30 in the morning it's a problem for you to get in the city."

The entire works along all of Seashore Drive all the way around to Golden Avenue will cost 90 thousand dollars.

According to Espejo, the 500 foot stretch that we saw today cost forty thousand dollars.

Next up for northside paving is LIZARRAGA AVENUE and then SUNRISE AVENUE and APPLE STAR STREET. And on the southside, RIVERO and PARTRIDGE streets.