Road Between Sour Sop Turn and Chapelton to be Rehabilitated

Residents of communities served by the main road between Sour Sop Turn and Chapelton in Clarendon are to benefit from improvement to that corridor, as the Transport, Works and Housing Ministry is to undertake rehabilitation works at a cost of over $1.2 billion.

The 18-month project (Phase One), which commenced in September 2014, includes: alignment, realignment, widening, and paving of the roadway; construction of drains; placement of road markings; and installation of traffic control devices and signals.

The works, being implemented through the National Works Agency (NWA) with joint financing provided by the Government of Jamaica, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International Development (OFID), are scheduled for completion in March 2016.

Communities which will benefit include: Coco Piece, Four Paths, New Longsville, and New Road, in addition to Sour Sop Turn and Chapelton.

State Minister, Hon. Richard Azan, who toured the project recently, told JIS News that rehabilitation is being undertaken as a result of extensive deterioration of the roadway due to various factors.

These, he pointed out, include: the impact of overloaded vehicles, such as trucks transporting goods and construction materials; an increase in the volume and size of vehicles driven along that corridor daily; and inadequate drainage.

He said while routine maintenance has been done on sections of the corridor, “no extensive road rehabilitation works have been done (for a number of years).”

Phase two of the project is slated for implementation along the Chapelton to Trout Hall corridor.

Meanwhile, Mr. Azan advised that work to replace the over 100-year old Pennants Bridge, also located in Clarendon, and which has fallen into disrepair, is slated to commence during the 2015/16 fiscal year, under the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP).

“The existing bridge is to be replaced with a modern two-lane reinforced concrete bridge. The cost to undertake the works will be negotiated with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC),” Mr. Azan informed, adding that project details will be announced at the contract signing ceremony.

He said the bridge, situated in the community after which it was named, is used regularly by the residents of several communities in northern Clarendon, including   Morgan’s Pass, Crooked River, Colonels Ridge, and Brandon Hill.

The MIDP is a four-year multi-million dollar project, jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and China EXIM Bank, which aims to improve Jamaica’s road network, and supporting infrastructure.