Lucea road repairs halted after first day

Western Bureau:

A long-awaited road rehabilitation project in Lucea, Hanover, has been temporarily delayed after seawater affected repair works along the town’s main thoroughfare.

The National Works Agency (NWA) had announced that work on Seaview Drive would begin on August 10 as part of a $54-million programme aimed at improving several road corridors across the parish. The works were scheduled to start at 9 p.m., when traffic volumes are typically lower.

“The works form part of a 54-million-dollar initiative to improve the driving experience of motorists using several corridors in the parish of Hanover,” said Stephen Shaw, the NWA’s manager of communication and customer services. “The works are being done as part of the Go Rehabilitation Programme and will see several corridors, including the road from Riley to Glasgow, Cascade to Jericho and the Green Island to Glasgow being patched.”

But, shortly after repairs began along the pothole-riddled roadway, work was suspended.

“We were not able to do all areas (as planned), as seawater came onto the road and impacted the efforts. We are planning to approach it differently,” Shaw told The Gleaner.

The setback highlights a longstanding challenge in Lucea, parts of which lie below sea level. Sections of Seaview Drive can flood within minutes of rainfall, complicating both travel and infrastructure maintenance.

Shaw said other components of the rehabilitation programme would continue as planned, including drain-cleaning activities across the parish and work on the problematic Venture Gutter in Lucea.

“The agency (NWA) has sought the assistance of the National Water Commission (NWC) to assist in having these drains flushed, the drain-cleaning works are slated to be done between August 15 and 16,” he said. “As soon as we are able to get the water off the roadway (Seaview Drive), the work will restart, as the directives have been given and we are working towards the completion of that project within days.”

For commuters, the road conditions remain a daily frustration.

“I am looking forward to that day when it will take me less than 45 minutes to pass through Lucea from Elgin Town,” a bus driver told The Gleaner. “I believe, once the road is fixed, going through Lucea will be reduced to a five-minute drive.”

Heatha Miller-Bennett, member of parliament for Hanover Western, also voiced concerns about the delay, noting the importance of Seaview Drive as a key link between Montego Bay and Negril.

“While we wait for the repairs, productivity in the parish is at a standstill,” she said. “The motorists are paying the price with damaged vehicles, alongside the inconvenience to pedestrians.”

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