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Master Plan for South Coast Highway remains
Garfield Myers, Editor-at-Large, South/Central Bureau
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth
A master plan to build a road similar to the North Coast Highway on Jamaica's south coast is still "in motion", according to head of communications for the state-run National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw.
Responding recently to questions about possible alternatives to the steep, accident-prone Spur Tree main road in South Manchester as an avenue for large cargo-carrying trucks and trailers, Shaw said the proposal for the long planned South Coast Highway was for it to stretch from Ferry in Westmoreland, through the southern sections of St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Andrew and Kingston "all the way to Fair Prospect" in St Thomas.
"We have our eyes set on having this done," Shaw told journalists, during a site visit led by Junior Works Minister Richard Azan to a broken section of the Ginger Hill/Pisgah main road in North-West St Elizabeth recently.
But he stressed that for the short term, the government planned to minimise accidents on Spur Tree by coming down hard on truck operators who overload their vehicles. The authorities would be moving to establish weigh stations as one way of catching those who breach the rules, the NWA officer said.
"Most of the time when you have a problem along the Spur Tree mainroad, it is as a result of (trucks) having developed some mechanical problem as a result of their going beyond what they should have in so far as the laden weight is concerned," Shaw said. "This is something that we hope to seriously tackle this financial year. Already, some moves have been made and legislation changed, and we are looking at establishing weigh stations in certain strategic areas around the island," he added.
Shaw noted that they were currently looking at options to handle the traffic.
"We are looking at St Mary (and) we are looking at the Harbour View area to deal with those coming from Yallahs. We have to look at somewhere along the Clarendon/ Manchester border to establish such a station to target those who are coming from Clarendon," he said.
Safety considerations apart, Shaw said overladen trucks damaged road surfaces causing "a huge cost to taxpayers".
"It is something we are going to tackle and we are going to be tackling it without fear and favour," he said.
Garfield Myers, Editor-at-Large, South/Central Bureau
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Santa Cruz, St Elizabeth
A master plan to build a road similar to the North Coast Highway on Jamaica's south coast is still "in motion", according to head of communications for the state-run National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw.
Responding recently to questions about possible alternatives to the steep, accident-prone Spur Tree main road in South Manchester as an avenue for large cargo-carrying trucks and trailers, Shaw said the proposal for the long planned South Coast Highway was for it to stretch from Ferry in Westmoreland, through the southern sections of St Elizabeth, Manchester, Clarendon, St Catherine, St Andrew and Kingston "all the way to Fair Prospect" in St Thomas.
"We have our eyes set on having this done," Shaw told journalists, during a site visit led by Junior Works Minister Richard Azan to a broken section of the Ginger Hill/Pisgah main road in North-West St Elizabeth recently.
But he stressed that for the short term, the government planned to minimise accidents on Spur Tree by coming down hard on truck operators who overload their vehicles. The authorities would be moving to establish weigh stations as one way of catching those who breach the rules, the NWA officer said.
"Most of the time when you have a problem along the Spur Tree mainroad, it is as a result of (trucks) having developed some mechanical problem as a result of their going beyond what they should have in so far as the laden weight is concerned," Shaw said. "This is something that we hope to seriously tackle this financial year. Already, some moves have been made and legislation changed, and we are looking at establishing weigh stations in certain strategic areas around the island," he added.
Shaw noted that they were currently looking at options to handle the traffic.
"We are looking at St Mary (and) we are looking at the Harbour View area to deal with those coming from Yallahs. We have to look at somewhere along the Clarendon/ Manchester border to establish such a station to target those who are coming from Clarendon," he said.
Safety considerations apart, Shaw said overladen trucks damaged road surfaces causing "a huge cost to taxpayers".
"It is something we are going to tackle and we are going to be tackling it without fear and favour," he said.
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