West Hanover MP wants bypass for Lucea
First-term legislator Tamika Davis has called for the building of a bypass for the town of Lucea in Hanover Western.
Davis, during her contribution to the State of the Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, said that the traffic situation in Lucea is of grave concern.
“An increase in housing units, coupled with an expansion of construction and commercial activities on the western side, has resulted in an increase in traffic volumes. As a consequence, the regular roads in Lucea are no longer able to filter the traffic through the town to Negril, and delays during peak and lunchtime hours are now an almost daily occurrence,” Davis said.
She said that while there are efforts to upgrade and rehabilitate Malcolm Heights Drive and for the dualisation of Willie Delisser Drive, along with the supporting traffic- and pedestrian-control measures, those moves will only be effective in the short term.
“It is painfully obvious that a bypass is needed. The town of Lucea needs a bypass. The one way into the town has outlived its usefulness and it is time enough for the change,” Davis said.
The Member of Parliament, who was elected on the Jamaica Labour Party ticket in the September 2020 general election, becoming the constituency’s first female representative in Parliament, has also listed the replacement of the Riley Bridge in her constituency as a major project she wants to see undertaken.
“Whenever there is significant rainfall, bamboo and tree roots from upstream block the arches, which causes the river to overflow its banks, leading to flooding and severe traffic delays and losses. It is high time for the bridge to be removed and replaced with a modern, open-span bridge, which would allow us to save on maintenance and eliminate the hindrance of flooding for residents and visitors alike,” Davis said.