stretch of Palmetto Road near its junction with Dutton Avenue to correct faults in the road that have made it hazardous to traffic.

The work will take ten weeks and cost $200,000 and to accommodate this there will be one-way traffic controlled by traffic lights.

It is possible a section of the road which runs between the old railway line in the north and a section of Pembroke Marsh in the south, will have to be closed off.

Works Minister Leonard Gibbons said the work was being conducted on a very important stretch because three major utility lines -- the Esso oil line to Belco, a sewage feed from the Tynes Bay Waste Management plant and the power lines from both Belco and Telco are beneath it.

"Some time ago we were criticised by the Bermuda Audubon Society for placing fill in the Marsh at the edge of the roadway, in an attempt to stop the settlement.

"However, during the week, together with technical officers of the Ministry, including structural engineering section and the parks department, I met with the President of the Audubon Society and with the environmental officer of the Bermuda National Trust.

"We agreed in detail a method of dealing with the problem which minimises the damage to the environment.'' Mr. Gibbons said the work crew would cut the edge of the embankment back and fill the road foundation with gravel and boulders.

The Trust and Audubon Society were both concerned over the effect the work would have on the nature reserve.

However, Tim Marshall, chairman of the Trust's environmental committee, has said he was pleased with the eventual outcome.

"Government has recognised that it was an error to dump the material and we are pleased that Government has recognised the importance of the marshland and that they are going to ensure that the road repairs are done in a sensitive manner,'' he said.