PM praises under-budget restoration of Gordon Town breakaway

NEARLY A year after the Gordon Town main road in St Andrew suffered a major breakaway during heavy rainfall last November, the roadway was officially reopened yesterday with stakeholders singing praises that it was completed within budget.

Approximately $37 million of the budgeted $187.7 million was saved on the road which connects several Gordon Town communities to the Corporate Area.

Keynote speaker, Prime Minister (PM) Andrew Holness, said that the residents and people who have to traverse the area can now do so at greater convenience and more safely.

“We had budgeted $187 million to do this, but I gather that you have come in under budget. It is not usual … . It is most unusual that the Government of Jamaica would have contracted works and it would come in under budget, so I am very pleased, and for that reason only, it would deserve a ceremony,” he said, noting that some persons may question the rationale for a reopening ceremony.

“Yes, for the people who use it, it is a big thing. For those who were deprived of the convenience of travel, it is worthy of note that it was repaired, but the taxpayer of the country need to understand that their Government allocated approximately $150 million to repair this breakaway and that involved some serious works,” Holness said.

He noted that the standard of the road was now significantly improved upon what was done when it was established over a century ago.

“When a contractor does well, when they come in under budget, when they do the work up to standard and above, we must commend them,” Holness further added, saluting the contractors, NF Barnes and Kenetic Engineering.

Varden Downer, senior director of project implementation at the National Works Agency (NWA), said that the works were carried out satisfactorily and should support the road for many years to come.

“We are happy to report that our team, in partnership with the contractor, applied the necessary value engineering and completed the works on time and below budget. Yes, I know that is not often said about our projects, but yes, we came in under budget,” he said.

St Andrew East Rural Member of Parliament Juliet Holness was pleased that her constituents were able to once again traverse the all-important roadway.

She said that the NWA has estimated that it would cost roughly $3.2 billion to fix all the damaged roads throughout the constituency.

Adding that it would not be feasible to repair all the roads now, she said that the some roadways would take priority and urged constituents to do whatever they could to maintain spaces wherever possible.

“... It is far cheaper to maintain than to have to come and spend what was spent by the Government – $187.7 million – to fix this breakaway. I say this to say that Gordon Town was so important because of the number of persons who traverse the route,” said Mrs Holness.

She added that the Cane River Road was among those set to receive attention this financial year.

RUDOLPH BROWN/ PHOTOGRAPHER Prime Minister Andrew Holness (third left) and his wife Juliet Holness, member of Parliament for St Andrew East Rural, cut the ribbon to reopen the rehabilitated Gordon Town roadway yesterday with (from left) Caswell Whyte, project manager, National Works Agency (NWA); Varden Downer, senior director, project implementation, NWA; Keon Hinds, managing director of Kinetic Engineering Services Limited; and Councillor Neville Whittaker. The corridor had been closed for nearly a year due to a massive breakaway, which forced scores of residents to use alternative routes.

RUDOLPH BROWN/PHOTOGRAPHER Prime Minister Andrew Holness and St Andrew East Rural Member of Parliament Juliet Holness examine the rehabilitated embankment after cutting the ribbon to officially opening the Gordon Town road in St Andrew yesterday.