Hamilton appeals for patience with road projects

WESTERN BUREAU:

TOVA HAMILTON, member of parliament for Trelawny Northern, is appealing for her constituents’ patience as she battles with the lengthy procurement process to address deteriorated roadways in her constituency.

Hamilton, while responding to queries from The Gleaner, shared that she has been pushing for the commencement of major road rehabilitation projects in the constituency. However, she further explained that with the lengthy procurement process in place by the Government, these projects are still in the pipeline as the National Works Agency (NWA) is yet to award the contracts.

“Hopefully, they can be a little patient with me because I have to go through processes just the same and it’s not as though I can just execute a project on my own. I don’t get the resources to do it, so I have to go to the agencies that have the resources.”

According to Hamilton, motorists traversing the Duncans to Clark’s Town main road should expect better road conditions once the proposed project is completed. She told The Gleaner that approximately $20 million has been allocated for the project and the procurement process was initiated last year.

However, motorists are still playing hopscotch while utilising the main road as large craters have created a hindrance to a smooth-sailing journey through the western parish.

The roadway is yet to be sent out to tender.

At the same time, when asked about rehabilitation plans for the Daniel Town to Clark’s Town main road, Hamilton said, “We do maintenance and patching every now and again, but there is no plan to do a comprehensive rehabilitation of that as yet because I am trying to do the Duncans to Clark’s Town road.

“I need to get that out of NWA. It is currently in procurement. I have quite a few roads in NWA that I am trying to get out before I ask for anything else because it is very frustrating when you have all of these projects and you can’t execute,” Hamilton added.

In the meantime, Hamilton stated that while she, too, has grown impatient of the lengthy wait for the major projects to begin, she has been trying to get other roadways rehabilitated.

“However, I do my follow-ups with every single project that I do, so it’s almost as though I am a pest, but at least at the end of the day you will see the fruits of the labour coming through.

“The good thing is that I currently have the Martha Brae to Bounty Hall under repair as we speak. It started in February or March, and we have about eight months to complete,” the first-term MP shared.

In an email response to The Gleaner, Stephen Shaw, communications and customer service manager at NWA, shared that the Duncans to Clark’s Town roadway “will be out to tender this week”. He also explained that the NWA is not at fault for the lengthy delays of the project.

“It is important to note that there are protocols that must be followed in respect of public expenditures. These are not NWA stipulations, but that of Government. Until these are done, we cannot implement any project, even where a budget might have been agreed.”

Shaw further pointed out that the NWA has carried out three major projects in Trelawny Northern since the start of the year. These include the rehabilitation of the Falmouth to Springvale road (Holland to Bounty Hall) at a cost of $144.7 million. In addition to that, approximately $1.2 million was spent on work reportedly done on the Wakefield to Deeside main road.

Earlier in March, Minister of Finance Dr Nigel Clarke announced that the Government is revising the limits required for approval of the Public Procurement Commission from $30 million to at least $60 million.

“We are leaving procuring entities to award higher value contracts without the need for external approval. These changes will speed up the pace at which the Government can deliver for the Jamaican people,” said Clarke during the opening of 2024/25 Budget Debate.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com