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Where is Ivan Anderson's sense of urgency?
Monday, November 05, 2007
We are extremely disheartened by the news story in yesterday's Sunday Observer quoting Mr Ivan Anderson as saying there is at least a two-year wait for the start of the Highway 2000 leg bypassing the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine.
Mr Anderson, the managing director of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), betrays a lack of a sense of urgency. It is plainly foolish for us as a country to continue to rely on the treacherous Bog Walk Gorge as the main corridor linking the north and south coast of Jamaica.
After the havoc wreaked by the recent rains, causing the gorge to be closed for several periods, we expected to hear that the timetable for constructing the bypass would be immediately brought forward.
Instead, we are being told rather nonchalantly by Mr Anderson that the work to be undertaken by French contractors, Bouygues Travaux Publics, should begin early 2009!
According to the news story, by NROCC estimates, construction work to complete that leg of the Spanish Town to Ocho Rios leg of the highway could take at least three years.
Has nobody informed Mr Anderson about what is really happening? That the Rio Cobre is often in spate while landslides and falling rocks from the hills prove a hazard to commuters?
He obviously did not hear the news that a fortnight ago, more than 50 people were trapped by raging flood waters in the gorge and had to be rescued by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers using helicopters, after heavy showers left the roadway impassable, for the umpteenth time.
Telling us that despite the hazards associated with using the Bog Walk Gorge, the Mount Rosser leg of the route is the more unpredictable section of the roadway, is by no means any consolation to fretful motorists.
In fact, what Mr Anderson is telling us about Mount Rosser is supporting information to reinforce the need to speed up the construction of the highway. He rightly says that heavy-duty vehicles slow traffic along Mount Rosser continuously throughout the year, frequently adding up to three hours of travel time. We know that. Now let's do something about it.
Don't think we are making light of Mr Anderson's explanation that procuring the land for the highway is a difficult affair. But we don't sense that enough work is being done to hasten this phase of the project, since we have not seen a progress report on the negotiations.
We note that the Sandy Bay, Clarendon to Williamsfield, Manchester leg of Highway 2000 is set to commence by March 2008. We are told that both legs could be constructed concurrently. However, if it is a choice between the two, then it should be more than obvious which is more urgent.
The minister of works needs to stamp his authority on this project. It can't be left to people like Mr Anderson to drag his feet for as long as he wants.
In any event, we are sure that a decision to bring forward the construction of the bypass could not be taken by NROCC alone. Gentlemen, please take the business of this country more seriously.
Monday, November 05, 2007
We are extremely disheartened by the news story in yesterday's Sunday Observer quoting Mr Ivan Anderson as saying there is at least a two-year wait for the start of the Highway 2000 leg bypassing the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine.
Mr Anderson, the managing director of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), betrays a lack of a sense of urgency. It is plainly foolish for us as a country to continue to rely on the treacherous Bog Walk Gorge as the main corridor linking the north and south coast of Jamaica.
After the havoc wreaked by the recent rains, causing the gorge to be closed for several periods, we expected to hear that the timetable for constructing the bypass would be immediately brought forward.
Instead, we are being told rather nonchalantly by Mr Anderson that the work to be undertaken by French contractors, Bouygues Travaux Publics, should begin early 2009!
According to the news story, by NROCC estimates, construction work to complete that leg of the Spanish Town to Ocho Rios leg of the highway could take at least three years.
Has nobody informed Mr Anderson about what is really happening? That the Rio Cobre is often in spate while landslides and falling rocks from the hills prove a hazard to commuters?
He obviously did not hear the news that a fortnight ago, more than 50 people were trapped by raging flood waters in the gorge and had to be rescued by Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) soldiers using helicopters, after heavy showers left the roadway impassable, for the umpteenth time.
Telling us that despite the hazards associated with using the Bog Walk Gorge, the Mount Rosser leg of the route is the more unpredictable section of the roadway, is by no means any consolation to fretful motorists.
In fact, what Mr Anderson is telling us about Mount Rosser is supporting information to reinforce the need to speed up the construction of the highway. He rightly says that heavy-duty vehicles slow traffic along Mount Rosser continuously throughout the year, frequently adding up to three hours of travel time. We know that. Now let's do something about it.
Don't think we are making light of Mr Anderson's explanation that procuring the land for the highway is a difficult affair. But we don't sense that enough work is being done to hasten this phase of the project, since we have not seen a progress report on the negotiations.
We note that the Sandy Bay, Clarendon to Williamsfield, Manchester leg of Highway 2000 is set to commence by March 2008. We are told that both legs could be constructed concurrently. However, if it is a choice between the two, then it should be more than obvious which is more urgent.
The minister of works needs to stamp his authority on this project. It can't be left to people like Mr Anderson to drag his feet for as long as he wants.
In any event, we are sure that a decision to bring forward the construction of the bypass could not be taken by NROCC alone. Gentlemen, please take the business of this country more seriously.