Sandy Bay main road reopened to single-lane traffic; Barnett to Adelphi in St James impassable

Overnight rains in the western parishes have left the main road from Barnett to Adelphi in St James impassable due to heavy siltation.

Meanwhile, the National Works Agency (NWA) says a section of the Northcoast Highway through Sandy Bay, Hanover, which was rendered impassable by silt and debris on Wednesday morning, has now been reopened to single-lane traffic.

Manager of Communication and Customer Services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, says a section of the North Gully in the community of Capital Heights, St James, has also been impacted. He says flood waters were diverted onto the road, due to a downed tree.

Shaw further states that multiple teams continue to operate in the western parishes of Hanover, St James, Westmoreland and Trelawny as the NWA seeks to reopen all roads impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

He says work is taking place in the Petersville community in Westmoreland as the NWA seeks to ensure that critical services are delivered to the impacted persons. The community is one of two in the west that, up to Tuesday, was inaccessible.

Shaw is urging persons to continue to exercise caution in using the main road network at this time as they are likely to encounter impediments as they move around. Persons should also be mindful of flash flooding as the underground aquifers are full, and some waterways are still being impacted by debris associated with the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

He says the NWA is working closely with the Jamaica Public Service Company Limited as there are several roads that are being impacted by downed poles and power lines. The majority of these are in the central and western parishes that were hardest hit by the hurricane.

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