By Erica James-King, Senior Staff Reporter 
This man, known popularly as 'Shortman', uses marl to fill potholes along the Salt Spring main road in Montego Bay and entreat passing motorists to pay him for his troubles. Here he targets an SUV driver. - Patrick Campbell/Freelance Photographer
WESTERN BUREAU:
ALMOST THREE months after the $197-million contract for the major road patching programme in western Jamaica was signed, the work is yet to get off the ground in Trelawny.
The protracted delay is being blamed on the failure by the authorities to identify a sub-contractor for the work scheduled for the parish. When the contract for the project was signed on May 3, Transport Minister Robert Pickersgill predicted that the entire patching programme for the western end of the island, would have been completed within 30 weeks.
Now residents of Trelawny are concerned that the patching exercise in their parish might not meet the end of year time-line for the completion of the
project.
Stanford Green, a farmer of Drumilly said, "The road them really want look afta. Mi wonder when the work gwine start. Mi understand that they can't find anyone to do the road repair."
In an interview with The Gleaner, Stephen Shaw, Communications Manager for the Western Region of the National Works Agency (NWA), said there is no sub-contractor to initiate the patching activities in Trelawny.
"We haven't identified a sub-contractor for the Trelawny project just yet."
"The NWA has nothing to do with hiring sub-contractors. NWA signed a contract with D.R. Foote Construction Company Limited, which is the contractor for the entire western patching programme. That company in turn needs to hire sub-contractors for work in the different parishes. So far D. R. Foote Construction has not reached an agreement with any sub-contractor, to undertake the patching needed in Trelawny," disclosed Mr. Shaw.
He, however, was at pains to play down any negative effects that the foot-dragging in implementing the project might be having on Trelawny in particular and the overall western patching programme in general.
"There's no need to worry about the delays. The work to be done in Trelawny is minimal and can be done in very short order," Mr. Shaw informed The Gleaner.
He is confident that within a month, a sub-contractor would be identified and construction work would get off the ground in the targeted areas in Trelawny. The roadways in Trelawny that are to be addressed under the patching programme are: Rio Bueno to Jackson Town, Martha Brae to Kinloss, Deeside to Drummily and Stewart Town to Rock.
Meanwhile, the multi-million dollar western patching project is slated for 254 kilometres of road in the parishes of Trelawny, St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.
To date, only two of the projects have been completed, namely: Green Island to Glasgow in Hanover and Grange to Friendship in Westmoreland. According to NWA officials, the rehabilitation of the 12.6 kilometres Riley to Glasgow Road in Hanover is over 95 per cent complete and this week, the finishing touches are being placed on that roadway.
Work is also progressing on Kew to Jericho Road in Hanover; Hertford to Flower Hill and Torrington to Pennicooke in Westmoreland.
$35-million is being spent on St. James alone, and already rehabilitation has started on the following thoroughfares: Bickersteth, Anchovy to Mount Horeb, Montpelier to Mafoota, and Orange Hill to Stonehenge.
