Holness calls for patience as gov't carries out road repairs

Stating that nearly half of Jamaica’s roads are in disrepair, as some were built over a century ago, Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has called for patience as the Government undertakes efforts to improve the country’s road infrastructure.

“The fact is that no other administration in the history of Jamaica has spent more on roads, and building of highways than this administration has in the last nine years-none,” Holness stated.

He contended that the public “cannot expect that every single bad road is going to be fixed in one decade”.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony for the Myton Gully drainage system in Old Harbour, St Catherine, today, the Prime Minister asserted that deteriorating road infrastructure and lack of amenities, such as water, should not be ascribed to only one government.

“A road has a lifespan of between seven and 15 years depending on the kind of road you build. You can extend that by another five or even 10 years depending on the level of maintenance that you do on the road,” he said.

He added: “If after seven years you don't do any maintenance of the road and then the potholes start to emerge and the road itself deteriorates and fall apart, then when you reach year 20 now, and is a different government in place, you start to blame this government. This government is responsible, but it is not its fault.”

However, he noted that his administration has assumed full responsibility for the nation’s roads and has started the process of establishing a comprehensive road registry. A programme has also been launched to ensure roads are properly named.

Following this, assessments will be carried out to determine their condition, paving the way for a long-term, budget-supported plan to rehabilitate critical and high-priority roads over the next decade.

“I need to reorient the minds of Jamaican citizens that you are not going to repair all the roads today or this year, it is going to take you at least a decade to repair roads that have not been repaired in 50, 60 years, some of them, or ever since they were built.”

The Prime Minister in the meantime also lauded the $370 million Myton Gully drainage system which is expected to significantly reduce flooding in the Big Pond/Myton Gully area and the Old Harbour, St Catherine, community in general, improving the lives of about 38,000 residents.

It is being facilitated under the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project.

-Sashana Small

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