Gareth Davis, Gleaner Writer
PORT ANTONIO, Portland:
THE NATIONAL Works Agency (NWA) will use a prioritisation system as it seeks to rehabilitate roads in the Rio Grande Valley.
Acting communications manager of the NWA, Petra-Keane Williams, said that this system will be employed because of the "unavailability of funds to effect the necessary repairs to the roads".
"We are taking a close look at how the agency spends money, as the funds are just not available," she said during an interview yesterday. "One of the corridors which has got priority is located in the community of Cascade, in the Buff Bay Valley."
ROADS HAVE WORSENED
Ms. Williams said that a contractor has been identified to carry out work at Cascade, where there are five 'breakaways', all of which occurred during the passage of hurricanes Dennis and Emily in July. Residents say the fissures in the road have worsened due to the recent flood rains.
The ravages of both hurricanes have left the community virtually cut off and in many instances, food and other supplies have had to be airlifted to residents.
Ms. Williams mentioned that the Rio Grande Valley road network had also been prioritised, and that so far, submissions had been made to Cabinet for work to be carried out along that corridor.
"Once we get approval from Cabinet, maintenance work will be carried out in the Rio Grande Valley," she said. "And we are quite aware that those repairs and rehabilitation will require a significant amount of money."
Ms. Williams noted that special studies will have to be done regarding road maintenance as torrential rainfall has either destroyed or damaged the road network in Portland and St. Mary in the past three years.
She noted also that because of the wide-scale road damage, it was difficult to get rehabilitation projects under way quickly, as repairs have to be done first and foremost to any breakaway.
MOUNTED ROADBLOCK
More than 20 kilometres of roadway in the Rio Grande Valley has fallen into disrepair in the past six months, including those in the communities of Millbank, Bellevue, Comfort Castle and Ginger House.
Last month, more than 200 residents in the Fellowship community of the Lower Rio Grande Valley took to the streets and mounted a roadblock for over seven hours to protest the deplorable state of the roads.
