Major patching works for Junction main road

The National Works Agency (NWA) is carrying out major patching of the main thoroughfare along the Junction corridor, extending from Grande Hole in St Mary to the St Andrew border.

Communication Manager at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, said the roadwork is being done under the Government's Graded Overlay (GO) Road Rehabilitation Programme and is aimed at creating a much smoother road surface for commuters.

According to Shaw, the Junction main road is a critical corridor heavily utilised by delivery trucks, taxi operators, minibus operators and others travelling to the capital city of Kingston via Annotto Bay to conduct business.

The Junction main road, extending from sections of Broadgate through Friendship Gap to Castleton and beyond, has fallen into a deplorable state due to unfavourable weather conditions, including the passage of Hurricane Melissa and frequent torrential rainfall, which caused significant damage to the entire road network.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament for South East St Mary, Christopher Brown, said the road patching work is a welcome development for motorists who, he noted, have grappled with poor road conditions for almost two years, resulting in damage to their vehicles.

“We have commenced our patching and repair programme in conjunction with the NWA under the GO programme that the Government of Jamaica has been executing across the country,” Brown said.

“The Junction corridor, which is a very essential roadway for hundreds of motorists who traverse it daily, had been in a very bad state. In fact, no repairs had been done on it for close to two years, well before the elections. I have been engaging the Minister of Transport and the NWA on the need to prioritise this specific corridor, which is used by persons travelling from Kingston to Portland, from Kingston to St Mary and the Port Maria area, and even to the north coast.

“It is an essential corridor that required priority attention. The Government has allocated funds under the GO programme, and so we have started patching and repairs in some of the worst-affected areas under phase one. We will be proceeding with the NWA into other areas of the constituency to undertake similar works,” he added.

The major patching work has been welcomed by taxi operator Vincent Black, who described the initiative as long overdue.

Paul Lee, who frequently travels from Portland to Kingston to do pick-ups at the Norman Manley International Airport, also expressed gratitude, noting that the large potholes and craters had been causing significant damage to the front end of his vehicle.

- Gareth Davis Snr

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