Improved roadway for two Hanover districts

RESIDENTS OF Jericho and Claremont in eastern Hanover are now breathing a collective sigh of relief as a 2.7-kilometre of roadway that joins the two districts, which was in state of disrepair, is now being fixed.

Janel Ricketts, the community relations officer at the National Works Agency (NWA) Western Region, said that the upgrading project was being done at a cost of approximately $11 million.

Ricketts said that the road improvement project involves the patching and rehabilitation of the worstaffected sections of the roadway. She added that the project, which got under way in the latter part of 2020, was far advanced and should be completed soon.

RESIDENTS GRATEFUL

When The Gleaner visited the two communities, pedestrians and motorists alike expressed appreciation for the repair works that would make it easier for them to commute and reduce the wear and tear on vehicles.

“It will be less taxing on my vehicle,” a taxi driver in Jericho told The Gleaner, adding that his wish now was to see the roadway from Jericho to Kew Bridge, which is the main thoroughfare from Jericho to Lucea, getting similar attention.

“You have to pass through Jericho to reach Claremont, so it is all well and good to repair this road, but the two roadways to reach Jericho from Lucea coming through Kew Bridge, or from Montego Bay coming through Cove Road, are both in deplorable conditions and could do with some improvements,” the motorist said. “If that road is repaired, it would most certainly lead to economic improvements in both Jericho and Claremont.”

The road improvement project comes on the heels of a $400-million major water-supply distribution project from Claremont to Jericho, which was commissioned into service in August 2020 by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

In the lead-up to the last general election, Dave Brown, the member of parliament for Hanover Eastern, had committed to place strong emphasis on improving the road network in the parish, if voters re-elected him.