More road improvement plans for Hanover

WESTERN BUREAU: ROAD USERS in Hanover are poised to see some much better road surfaces across the parish as, during the upcoming weeks, the National Works Agency (NWA) will be undertaking four major road projects spanning several communities.

According to Janel Ricketts, the community relations officer at the NWA Western Region, approximately $86.7 million will be spent on four contracts which have been signed for road improvement works in the western parish.

“There are four major projects which are now being undertaken by the NWA in Hanover under the Maintenance of Secondary Roads Programme,” said Ricketts. “They are cumulatively valued at $86 .7 million. The projects will target the worst-affected sections of the targeted roadways,” said Ricketts.

According to the NWA representative, the roadways to be addressed include Chichester to Golden Grove; St Simon to Haughton Court via Lances River; Dias to Davis Cove; and Mount Carmel to McLaren Gate. While some road projects in the parish got started earlier this month (October), the others will come on stream before the start of November.

The roadway from St Simon to Haughton Court, which is being done at a cost of $13.69 million, has already started and is expected to be completed in six weeks. The scope of work includes drain cleaning, construction of additional drains, the construction of curb and channel, the clearing of land slippages, and the reshaping and asphalting of some sections of the roadway with an asphaltic concrete overlay.

The scope of work to be carried out on the Dias to Davis Cove roadway is similar in nature to what is being done on the St Simon project and it, too, has started. It also is scheduled to be completed within six weeks, but at a cost of $15.33 million.

The Chichester to Golden Grove roadway, which is slated to start on November 1, is estimated to cost approximately $42.29 million. It is slated to be completed in four months. The Mount Carmel to McLaren Gate roadway, which will also begin on November 1, is also scheduled to be completed in six weeks. It is expected to cost $15.37 million.

Ricketts told The Gleaner that the contractor for the Chichester to Golden Grove roadway is S and G Road Surfacing Materials Ltd, while Graphic Design and Construction Company Ltd is the contractor for the other three projects.

For Sandra Campbell, who lives in the Dias area, the news that the road in her community will be fixed is like music to her ears, as according to her, the single greatest problem in her district is the bad roads.

“Bad roads have been holding back the community and we were at the point where some of us felt as if we were destined to live with bad roads for the rest of our lives,” said Campbell. “I want to personally thank the NWA for giving us this early Christmas gift.”