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St Thomas Police concerned about Morant Bay traffic woes

Published:Wednesday | February 24, 2021 | 1:41 PM

The St Thomas Police are to seek a meeting with representatives overseeing rehabilitation works along the Morant Bay to Prospect main road to discuss traffic concerns in the area. 

The work, which falls under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, has been causing delays and poses a challenge to commuters and emergency vehicles plying the roadway. 

The Princess Margaret Hospital is also located within the area. 

"I had a personal experience on the road. I was stuck in traffic for a very long time, not being able to move then I realised that this [road works] is indeed a concern. Plus, the hospital is within that stretch. The delay is not safe so I decided I wanted to arrange a meeting with them," head of the St Thomas Police, Superintendent Allison Byfield, told The Gleaner.

A date has not yet been set.

Byfield said the aim of the meeting is to decide on ways in which the challenges being experienced by the public can be eased. 

This follows the recent announcement by the National Works Agency that activities have now been ramped up significantly on St Thomas-based project and will remain so for the next three months.

According to the agency, the heightened road construction works will be concentrated primarily in the town of Morant Bay where major pipe-laying activities are set to commence alongside ongoing civil works.

Though NWA Communication and Customer Services Manager, Stephen Shaw, had explained that some of the work would be restricted to night-time to minimise traffic disruptions, he advised that motorists should expect some impact on traffic flow, from time to time, due to the urban setting of the area.

The aim, Shaw said, is to have the roadway between the Morant Bay roundabout and Wharf Road paved by the end of the 90-period.

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