Portia Simpson Miller (seated centre), Minister of Local Government, signs a contract for the rehabilitation of several roads in St. Mary under the Parish Infrastructure Development Programme (PIDP) yesterday, at the ministry's Hagley Park Road offices, St. Andrew. From left are Bobby Montaque, Mayor of Port Maria; Don Creary, councillor for the Castleton Division; Patrick Wong, technical director in the Local Government Ministry, and Harry Douglas, Member of Parliament for St. Mary North East. - Ricardo Makyn / Staff Photographer SEVERAL ROADS in St. Mary are to be repaired during the next four months under the Government's Parish Infrastructure Development Programme (PIDP) at a cost of just over $40 million.
The contracts were signed yesterday by Portia Simpson Miller, Minister of Local Government, along with political representatives from the respective areas, and contractors, at the ministry's Hagley Park Road offices, St. Andrew. A total of 7.8 kilometres of roadway will be repaired under the project.
NEW TECHNIQUE
Patrick Wong, technical director in the Local Government Ministry, said the roads would be repaired using the new micro-surfacing technique, instead of the usual double-surface dressing method used in repairing roads in Jamaica. According to Mr. Wong, the method is more durable and cheaper to use. "It is much cheaper than asphaltic concrete, it is about 40 per cent of the cost of asphaltic concrete," he said.
He said the technique had been used on roads in downtown Kingston; Tivoli Gardens, west Kingston, Spanish Town, St. Catherine; Westmoreland and Montego Bay, St. James, during the last three months.
"We started about three months ago and it's working quite well; it is really coming out quite well and we are pleased so far with the performance," Wong said.
Mrs. Simpson Miller, in signing the contracts, warned contractors that the ministry was expecting nothing less than quality work and "failure to do so will result in your being disqualified from doing any more work for this ministry. We will not accept shoddy work, no cost overruns."
The surfaces to be rehabilitated include: the Luna to Seaton road, Coffee Walk road, Mile Gully road, Well road, Villa road and roads in the Iterboreale housing scheme. The contracts have been awarded to Dwight's Construction Co. Ltd. and B.F. Pavement and Consultants Co. Ltd. Work is slated to start on June 21 and will continue through to November 22.
