Roselle Main Road Spared

The Roselle main road in St. Thomas, which has been a source of concern because of storm surges affecting its surface, was virtually unscathed during the recent passage of Tropical Storm Gustav.
Secretary/Manager of the St. Thomas Parish Council, Clinton Gordon, told JIS News, that following the passage of the storm, checks were made on potential trouble spots, including Roselle main road.
“The first thing we did Friday morning (August 29), was to drive on Roselle main road. We drove from Morant Bay to Yallahs and back; just a little bit of debris washed from the hills, but no damage to Roselle,” he said.
He attributed this to no major storm surge, so there was little or no erosion of any section of the roadway.
Earlier this year, a tender was advertised for protective works along the Roselle main road, which runs parallel to the sea’s shoreline. Manager for Communications and Customer Service at the National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw, told JIS News, that the contract, which would cost over $100 million, would be executed in phases.
He explained that the Roselle main road was constantly under threat by sea surges, particularly during the hurricane season, and has suffered from constant erosion.
Mr. Shaw said initially, the work would focus on select areas that have suffered severe deterioration. “We can’t do all the areas, so we will be doing the most critical points,” he said.