Weekend deadline for road repair after sewer fix
Published:Monday | October 10, 2016 | 12:00 AM
The collapsed section of Constant Spring Road that has triggered traffic gridlocks all over Kingston is projected to be fully repaired by weekend.
This was confirmed by Stephen Shaw, communication manager of the National Works Agency., in an interview aired on Television Jamaica last night.
But the emergency repairs have been hampered by active sewers and other underground infrastructure, including water mains cables, in the vicinity of Market Place and the defunct Globe Fine Furniture Company in St Andrew.
The National Water Commission (NWC) said yesterday that it had been working with other stakeholders to complete the sewer repairs by tomorrow.
"The NWC craves the continued understanding and patience of the public as every effort is made to have the work completed by Wednesday (October 12) or at the earliest possible time," the water company said in a release.
Since last Thursday, when the road was closed, it has been a peak-hour nightmare for motorists travelling in the Corporate Area.
Motorists have reported delays of up to two-and-a-half hours as they made their way via crowded alternative routes to get to their destinations.
WIDER AREA OF DAMAGE
But the NWC said, "[There is] a much wider area of damage than was initially visible from the surface; the sewers being buried more than 20 feet below the surface requiring the use of shoring and piling to secure sections of the trench-line, as well as electricity and telephone poles and wires above ground, criss-crossing the work area."
The NWC noted that there had been collaboration with NWA and the police, and that NWC and its contractor had been working non-stop to excavate and explore the collapsed areas.
"We have been working to identify the underground issues; arrange for the sourcing and delivery to the site of all the required material, equipment and expertise required to effectively respond to the emergency; remove and replace the damaged section of sewers; and reinstate the area to allow for normal traffic flows."