WESTERN BUREAU:
With the integrity of the Long Hill main road in St James now in question after major breakaways during the last major weather system, the St James police are concerned that it could create traffic management challenges as the hurricane season progresses.
“There is an issue that we have found that will severely impact our traffic situation and will impact the Long Hill space. After Hurricane Melissa, there is a section of the roadway where we recognised that the land below had started to move, and with the recent rains, based on what we saw, there is a breakaway on the Long Hill stretch coming down, which poses a significant safety hazard,” Senior Superintendent of Police Eron Samuels, the commander, said during Thursday’s monthly meeting of the St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC).
“It will require some corrective measures by the National Works Agency (NWA) and other stakeholders, and that issue is definitely one that we ought to watch. As it stands now, if we have a good shower of continuous rain, we may end up having one-lane traffic along Long Hill, so it is a cause for concern,” he added.
Acknowledging Samuels’ concern, Montego Bay Mayor Richard Vernon said the matter would be given the requisite attention.
“I note the concern as well, and I am going to ask our chief executive officer to write to the NWA pertaining to the Long Hill situation, and we will take it from there,” Vernon replied.
As far back as 2017, the Long Hill main road has been a major cause for concern because of damage caused whenever it rains, as well as fears that a single error while navigating the roadway could result in drivers plunging into the nearby ravine — something that has happened on several occasions.
On October 5, 2023, a Toyota Hiace minibus plunged 300 feet into the Long Hill ravine, leaving one person dead and six others, including the driver and students from schools in Anchovy and Cambridge, seriously injured. The ill-fated incident occurred after a bout of rain.
In October 2024, the National Road Operating and Constructing Company began work on the 11-kilometre Long Hill Bypass, which will replace the current treacherous roadway. The bypass is being developed by China Harbour Engineering Company with funding from the Jamaican Government.
Addressing other matters of concern, Samuels urged motorists using the Elegant Corridor roadway in Rose Hall, where upgrading work is under way, to obey the instructions of maintenance personnel. He cited two recent vehicular crashes in the area, one of which resulted in the death of 22-year-old Bianca Wallace, a member of the work crew.
“We note the works being done along the Elegant Corridor, and we are seeing where we have had two accidents in recent times. We are asking persons who are doing these sorts of road works to please pay keen attention to safety, and we are also asking road users to pay attention to signs and the persons giving,” said Samuels.
Syndicated from Jamaica Gleaner · originally published .
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