PM promises to speed up roadworks in St Thomas amid concerns Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has given his commitment to examining the management of road works in St Thomas under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP).

Holness is contending that the work could progress with more speed, leading to a lessening of the inconvenience caused by the works on the motoring public traversing sections of the parish.

“I’m of the view that the South Coast Road Improvement Project could move faster than it is now, and therefore, I’m going to be looking on the logistics and the management arrangements to ensure that it moves more quickly than it is presently doing,” said Holness while addressing the handing over of the Yallahs Fire Station in the parish last week.

In September, taxi and bus operators, as well as residents, mounted roadblocks to protest the poor state of some roads in the parish that are affecting students and other commuters traveling to and from areas like Bath, Lyssons, Port Morant, Dalvey, Leith Hall, among other communities in the parish.

The transport operators and residents of the parish have, and still blame, delays on the ongoing works under the SCHIP. They said with the project, many roads were dug up and have yet to be paved.

The state of the roadways in the parish led People’s National Party (PNP) Councillor for the White Horses Division in the St Thomas Municipal Corporation, Hubert Williams, to blast his fellow councillors from both sides of the political aisle for remaining silent about what he described as the dreaded road conditions in the parish.

“We can’t sit down as the local authority and watch this (the bad state of the roads) keep on going on.

“… And if we just sit and be spectators, the people dem nuh need fi vote back fi none a we fi return here!” thundered an impassioned Williams at the monthly general municipal meeting earlier this month.

A section of the highway through St Thomas that is presently under construction.

While the protests have largely stopped for now, the poor state of the parish’s roads remains, hampering commerce in the parish and leaving residents fuming about the slow pace of travelling throughout the parish or travelling to Kingston, according to an irate Williams at the time.

Holness said he has taken note of the cries of the residents relative to the state of the roadways throughout the parish.

“First, I want to say to you (the residents) that I follow all the protests and demonstrations, all the quarrels, and all the complaints that are placed on social media and in traditional media,” he said on Thursday.

“… And I have been driving around in St Thomas now for more than three hours (on Thursday) to understand, and, in fact, I do understand why people would be upset, and fatigue would set in,” the prime minister continued.

“I know that the people in St Thomas are very understanding of the challenges that the Government would face in trying to undertake some of the massive infrastructure work that we are doing,” he added.

While promising to speed up the roadworks under the SCHIP, Holness said once completed, St Thomas will stand to benefit economically.

“One thing you can be certain of is that when it is complete, nobody can say that St Thomas is the forgotten parish,” he assured.

In elaborating, he said: “You will probably have the best network of main roads going through your parish.

“You will have the most modern and advanced town centre, in addition to other investments that are to come not just from the Government, but the private sector.”

According to Holness, there are “significant interests” in St Thomas for the growth of tourism, business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, and quarrying and mining industries.

“People are now taking a serious look on how they can deploy capital in St Thomas.

“So your parish is set for a boom to come, and in the next five years, you’re going to see that unfold,” declared Holness.

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