Several spectators examine a breakaway at Pisgah district, St. Elizabeth, on Monday. - Photo by Michael Mclean

Michael McLean, Gleaner Writer

Lacovia, St. Elizabeth:

Construction work on a huge breakaway at Pisgah in New Market division, North West St. Elizabeth has been scheduled to begin within weeks.

Richard Azan, Junior Minister in the Ministry of Housing Water, Transport, and Works, made the announcement during a tour of the community on Monday.

"Work will begin immediately and the work will be carried out in-house by the National Works Agency (NWA)," Mr. Azan said.

Addressing disgruntled residents who protested by blocking the gate to the Pisgah All-Age School in the community last week, the Junior Works Minister assured the residents who stood in pouring rain that, by month-end, work will get under way.

Confident in the design

Stephen Shaw, communications manager at the NWA, said the agency was confident in the design developed for retaining the structure.

"We have gone the whole nine yards of the breakaway in terms of design and we have done quite a bit of testing and have found out that water is underneath the surface, which has resulted in this major landslide," he said.

"We have looked at the geology of it and we came up with a design for a retaining structure and this design we know and are very confident that it will work in this area."

The road, which is situated between Pisgah and Huntley Castle, broke away during Hurricane Ivan more than two years ago. The work was given out to a Canadian consultant at a cost of more than $21 million. However, the job was not completed by the consultant.