WRITTEN BY: GARFIELD L. ANGUS
The Government is to spend some $300 million for immediate rehabilitation of several roads and other infrastructure in St. Catherine West Central.
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, who made the disclosure while on a tour of communities in the constituency on July 19, said some of the roads need repairs, while complete rehabilitation will be done on others.
He outlined that $20 million is earmarked for emergency repair of the road from Sandy Ground to Ginger Ridge to Brown’s Hall, and $10 million for the Belfield and Marlie Hill road.
Mr. Warmington said the design of the Watermount bridge will be reviewed for attention, and “I have asked the NWA (National Works Agency) to remove the silt, to make space for the water to flow, and to construct a new embankment.”
Some of the works to be undertaken are repairs to breakaways, fixing of sections of roads that have been damaged, repair of drains, and repair of the Guanaboa Vale bridge.
During the next financial year, more than $2 billion will be spent to upgrade roads in the constituency, under the ‘Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network’ (SPARK) Programme.
Roads to be rehabilitated under the SPARK Programme are Ginger Ridge to Bartons, Spanish Town to Bamboo, Back Pasture to Junction, and Watermount to Garden Hill.
Minister Warmington said the flooding problem on the Johnson Pen main road is being addressed through a public-private partnership involving two developers, and “I can assure the people from that area that the problem is going to be addressed shortly”.
For his part, Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said he is confident that the projects will be undertaken, and he is pleased with the “responsiveness” of Minister Warmington.
