Emergency Response to Damaged Roads in Portland
By: , January 5, 2024
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left), makes a point while on a tour of damaged roads in sections of Portland, on January 5. With the Prime Minister is Member of Parliament for Portland East, Ann-Marie Vaz.The Full Story
The Government will be providing an emergency response to damaged roadways in sections of Portland, says Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.
Speaking during a tour of affected roads in the parish, on January 4, the Prime Minister said the unusual rainfall in various communities across Portland has caused dislocation for residents and “what we have seen, we could make emergency allocations”.
“We are coming close to the end of the fiscal year, so there will be some provisions that we will have to make to ensure that dislocations caused by the weather event does not affect fiscal stability,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Holness, who was accompanied on the tour by Member of Parliament for Portland East, Ann-Marie Vaz; Mayor of Port Antonio, Paul Thompson, and officials of the National Works Agency (NWA), added that as the response is made, safeguarding the country’s economic growth must also be considered.
“We have to protect our economic growth, and the infrastructure is important to protecting that growth. If roads are not good enough, we won’t be able to move the crops. If we don’t control the rivers and streams that are nearby, they can flood out entire plantations, and have an impact on our agricultural output,” he said.
The NWA has signed a contract valued at $9 million to do cleaning in the Seaman’s Valley area where the road has been damaged. Another sum is under consideration for repair work to the road.
Stressing that the Administration is “responsive”, Mr. Holness said the “necessary interventions” will be made to support the “various industries in the area that are affected by the weather and ensure that the commuting public and our farmers are able to move in relative ease”.
The Prime Minister also underscored that through the $40-billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme, the Administration will ensure that proper assessments are done and that the views of community members are taken into account for road projects.
“It is important that the people have a say and the roads are built so that they are sustainable and we don’t have to go back and build them again,” he said.