$10 Million Allocated to Repair Sections of White River Main Road in St. Ann

Government has earmarked approximately $10 million for the rehabilitation of sections of the White River main road in St. Ann that forms part of the north coast leg of Highway 2000.

The work will focus on rehabilitating three sections of the roadway, which is a crucial infrastructure that links St. Ann with St. Mary, among other vital areas, both residential and commercial.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, during a visit to the parish on January 26, underscored the road’s significance and acknowledged the adverse impact of its deteriorating condition on traffic congestion.

Mr. McKenzie emphasised the urgent need for repairs to bring much-needed relief to motorists.

“The National Works Agency (NWA) is in negotiations with the contractors as to how they are going to approach this; whether they are going to work during the day or night,” he indicated.

Mr. McKenzie further stressed the importance of ongoing dialogue between the contractors and the NWA in determining other strategies in getting the road repaired.

The contract for the roadworks gives it a six-week completion timeline with work to commence in short order.

For his part, NWA Regional Manager, Devon Lilly, noted that there are challenges posed by existing traffic congestion due to the current state of the roadway.

He gave the assurance that the NWA is actively collaborating with the contractors and other stakeholders to quickly rehabilitate the White River main road as well as devise effective solutions to improve road connectivity in the parish.

Minister McKenzie later toured other sections in the parish to include Old Road, White River Fisherman’s Village, Exchange and Ocho Rios.