Crime, poor lighting, accidents prompt calls for Dyke Road upgrade
Published:Wednesday | January 10, 2024 | 12:09 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
Portmore’s Dyke Road has elicited concerns from residents and a public official over safety and criminality. Consequently, they are now demanding an upgrade.
Built in the late 1950s to serve dual purposes of providing a main thoroughfare to transport aggregate and building materials for the construction of the Portmore housing stock and to prevent any overflows from the Rio Cobre and Caribbean Sea to flood lands that were being dredged and drained to establish Portmore communities, the Dyke Road forms a vital link between Spanish Town and Portmore, and by extension the highways.
Poorly lit with overgrown vegetation hindering visibility, the road has become a haven for criminals, and has seen some major traffic accidents over the years.
“It has become increasingly dangerous to travel on the road because of the visibility and other factors. It is a very important road not only to Portmore, but persons trying to bypass Portmore to get to the highways,” noted Keith Petgrave, a concerned Portmore resident.
‘Treacherous corridor’
Several other Portmore residents voiced similar concerns.
“Dyke Road is treacherous. I believe accidents could be minimised if there were four lanes, and if it was adequately lit there would be fewer criminal activities in bushes along the road,” shared Margarett Brown, a frequent user of the roadway.
Waterford Councillor Fenley Douglas, whose municipal division is bypassed by a section of Dyke Road, is advocating for a major upgrade, urging the government to transform the road into a dual thoroughfare.
“Dyke Road has become one of Jamaica’s treacherous corridors. It is not lit, and it is an area that the police are having all kinds of challenges policing. Furthermore, it has become a dumping ground for dead bodies,” Douglas declared.
“The road is very important; it enhances commercial activity between the Kingston wharves for persons connecting with the north coast highway, it is a major thoroughfare that links two cities, it cannot remain like this,” Douglas noted.
Despite the pressing issues, checks with the National Works Agency (NWA) reveal that there are no major plans for upgrading Dyke Road.
In the recent past, the only official reference to Dyke Road was made by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in his budget presentation, when he announced plans to build a highway from Mandela Highway across Dyke Road to reduce traffic congestion going into Portmore.
According to Douglas, at a stakeholders’ meeting in Portmore residents were assured that a road dualisation project, addressing traffic issues, would commence in January 2024, but no mention was made to upgrade Dyke Road.
“Nothing was mentioned about Dyke Road then. The government should find a way to include Dyke Road in its road improvement plan for Portmore; nothing short of dualising this important thoroughfare would suffice,” he argued.