Work Completed on $13.8M Hector’s River Project in Trelawny

The Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing has completed a $13.8 million river training project along sections the Hector’s River in Troy, Trelawny.

The project, implemented by the National Works Agency (NWA), entailed extensive reinforcement work along 50 metres of the banks of the waterway, which flows through the community.

Activities undertaken included: construction of gabion basket retaining walls along the river’s outer banks, and the compaction of reinforcement material to support these structures.

The project was done in response to residents’ concerns about damage which their properties, a number of which are adjacent to the river, have sustained over time, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall, when the water level in the river rises and, in some instances, overflows its banks. They said this occurrence has caused damage to and destruction of homes and farms, resulting in loss of crops, animals, and other assets.

This scenario led to prompt action by the NWA, which implemented the project in late 2013 and completed it in January.

State Minister for Transport, Works and Housing, Hon. Richard Azan, who visited the project site on January 30, expressed satisfaction with the quality of and timing within which the work was done.

He also informed that additional reinforcement and protective works are slated to be carried out along an additional 50 metres of the river, on either side of the completed project area.