St Thomas district yearns for end to road woes
Published:Thursday | September 1, 2022 | 12:10 AMAsha Wilks/Gleaner Writer
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“You are not forgotten,” Morant Bay May Michael Hue told residents of Cheswick in St Thomas on Tuesday, trying to reassure them as the Government prepares to invest millions in improving “non-existent” infrastructure in the district. Hue was...
“You are not forgotten,” Morant Bay May Michael Hue told residents of Cheswick in St Thomas on Tuesday, trying to reassure them as the Government prepares to invest millions in improving “non-existent” infrastructure in the district.
Hue was speaking on Tuesday while touring the community with Local Government and Rural Development Minister Desmond McKenzie, St Thomas Eastern Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Michelle Charles, and representatives from key state agencies.
The residents of Cheswick have long complained about neglect, pointing to the deteriorating road surfaces as one source of high levels of frustration.
“The road is so bad that walk-foot people (pedestrians) a complain,” resident Alton Solomon told The Gleaner.
The roadways in Brown Man Hill, Hill 60, and Brenton Hill – the three hills that make up the community – are all in disrepair, the 60-year-old motorcyclist lamented.
Motorists complained of the difficulty in navigating the poor road surface as potholes send them on frequent trips to the mechanic to fix front-end issues, change or repair worn-out tyres, and address other problems.
One man told The Gleaner that he recently had to repair the spindle, wheel bearings, and the other parts of the front-end assembly on his vehicle, adding that while the car is in need of additional maintenance, including wheel alignment, he simply cannot afford it.
“A nuff years – long time now – [the road is like this] and nobody nah do nothing ‘bout it,” he said.
Diane Wilson said that taxis charge $400, including a $150 fee to endure the poor road conditions on Hill 60.
“Nobody nuh wah come up here. Mi a tell you the truth,” she said.
Residents believe that the state of the roads could be behind the suspension of garbage-collection services in the community.
“It’s more than six months now a garbage truck don’t run in here,” Solomon said, adding that residents have had to resort to burning their waste.
Just an hour before the local government minister arrived to tour the community on Tuesday, a lone garbage-collection truck arrived. On hearing the horn, shocked locals quickly tried to wheel out their bins on to the street.
“Style dem a style we,” one male resident said, clearly unimpressed by the sudden arrival of a truck.
HOPE REMAINS
They remain hopeful, however, that they will not have to wait six more months for another collection.
Cheswick is one of six communities to receive attention under the $650 million Rural Development Programme, which was launched in 2021 and aims to improve and reshape the economic and social lives of the districts over two years. Hanover, St Catherine, St Andrew, and Clarendon are the other parishes benefiting.
Mayor Hue stated that Cheswick should be proud to have been among the six communities selected for the pilot project.
“This community is a very unusual community. The infrastructure of the community is non-existent. The roadwork is literally a farce,” Minister McKenzie said, noting that over the next few of months, the issues raised by residents would be addressed, starting with repairs to the Hill 60 roadway.
In phases two and three, the remaining roadways will be rehabilitated.
MP Charles said that she was looking forward to “very good and smooth road in the near future”, expressing gratitude that Cheswick had been selected. “We look forward to Cheswick becoming that kind of community we know that the people here deserve.”