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No Flooding Along Marcus Garvey Drive

By: , May 17, 2017

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Rehabilitation and expansion works along Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston have addressed the problem of severe flooding of the roadway.

The National Works Agency (NWA) is reporting that the heavy rains that pelted the island on Monday night (May 15) into Tuesday morning (May 16), causing extensive damage in some parishes, did not affect the thoroughfare.

Last September, a number of business places along Marcus Garvey Drive were flooded and motorists stranded due to severe flooding following a downpour.

Manager, Communication and Customer Service at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, said “we are fairly happy with how the road and drainage features stood up”.

He told JIS News that most of the work has been completed, but “there are only a few minor activities left to have the project wrapped up, weather permitting, by the end of May”.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, said he was pleased to hear the good news from the NWA.

“You know, this is something we need to be thankful about, because most persons know what we had up to a couple of months ago on Marcus Garvey Drive,” he told JIS News.

“The construction works that took place included widening the mouth of the gulley, and the water is now running freely,” he noted further.

The US$20.5-million Marcus Garvey Drive project includes widening a section of the roadway from four to six lanes and the construction of sidewalks; upgrading the drainage infrastructure; and improving lighting, among other things.

It is being undertaken under the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP).

Marcus Garvey Drive is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the country with about 40,000 motor vehicles traversing the roadway daily.

 

The roadway is also a major link to the Kingston Container Terminal and the industrial belt at Newport and downtown Kingston.

Last Updated: May 17, 2017

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