MOTORISTS in the Liguanea area of St Andrew should brace for major traffic disruptions this summer as the National Water Commission (NWC) undertakes the renovation of sewage infrastructure along Old Hope Road Speaking during a recent meeting of the Jamaica Observer Press Club at the newspaper’s headquarters in St Andrew, Minister of Water Matthew Samuda said the work forms part of the Government’s ongoing programme to strengthen resilience through upgrading the county’s water and sewage network. He explained that work on Munroe Road and Wellington Drive, which led to traffic snarls in the area for weeks, is now complete, allowing work to begin on the stretch of Old Hope Road that runs through Liguanea, Matilda’s Corner, and Seymour Avenue. Samuda told Observer editors and reporters that work along that corridor was deliberately postponed to avoid disrupting students travelling to sit their various examinations.
“We didn’t start last month because we didn’t want to run the risk of a child being stuck in traffic trying to get to their PEP [Primary Exit Profile] exams at St Peter and Paul, or a child trying to get to Campion to do their CXC [Caribbean Examination Council] exams along that particular space. We expect to start in the coming week or so,” said the minister. Minister of Water Matthew Samuda promising to fix the sewage problem facing the Corporate Area, during a meeting of the Jamaica Observer Press Club last Friday.
(Naphtali Junior) While disruptions are expected, Samuda noted that all works are being done in accordance with the traffic management plan, with construction taking place at night and on weekends to complete the project in a timely manner and lessen the impact it will have on those who traverse the route regularly. “We had to start it during the summer to ease the impact. Now the first question is: Will there be work at night?
Will we be working on the weekends? So we will be doing everything possible, within our contracted arrangement, to move the work as fast as is possible. In fact, sections of the road that don’t have to be disturbed and can be done through lateral drilling, that will also be used at the sections where the sidewalk belongs,” said Samuda.
“So yes, there will be some disturbance, yes there will be impact on traffic, but we have learnt the lessons from Wellington which is that...obviously, flagmen have to be…
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