Lead Stories

Residents of Fruitful Vale in West Portland are benefiting from repairs to the Bath Springs Road in that constituency, which was officially opened on Monday by Robert Montague, state minister with responsibility for local government.

The repairs were completed by Wadmar Construction Limited within the specified three-month period and a $7.4-million budget.

The work included the renovation of 650 metres of roadway and widening of the road to seven metres, to allow better accessibility to pedestrians and two-way traffic.

There was also improvement to the drainage system, construction of V-drains, U-drains, earth drains and concrete cross drains and culverts, as well as reconstruction of the sub-base, base and double surface treatment of the pavement, in addition to the construction of retaining walls and spillway.

Inaccessible

Resident Lorraine McPherson said that prior to the repairs, the road was inaccessible to motor vehicles. She said many farmers had to carry their produce on their heads and residents had to walk barefoot whenever it rained.

"The repairs have improved the quality of our lives," McPherson said.

The road will be maintained by the Portland Parish Council and is one of three projects being undertaken in the parish. The others are the rehabilitation of the Forty Acres Road and the renovation and expansion of the Hopewell water-treatment facility.

This forms part of a larger project in partnership with the parish councils of St James, St Catherine, St Thomas, Portland and St Mary, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Department of Local Government. These agencies were awarded a J$211-million grant.

- Carl Gilchrist