Three Miles bypass still incomplete
The six-week timeline that was given to complete the road in Seaview Gardens in Kingston, which leads from Chesterfield Drive to Marcus Garvey Drive, has passed, and, according to Patrick Lena, a liaison officer for the project, it will take another two to three weeks before it is fully completed.
He said that the roadwork, which began in September, should have been completed today, but it still has a long way to go. He noted that the road needs to be paved and the drains need to be properly constructed.
"This cyaan done because dem have marl and all kind a things to do. Dem have the kerb wall to do, the lights have to move and put in back and the Barber-Greene (asphalt) have to do. The side of the road nuh level up because when rain fall the place full a water, so they need to firm up dem part deh," he said.
In September, Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced the construction of the Three Miles bypass at a cost of US$1 million. Three Miles was closed last month in order to upgrade the road infrastructure in the Corporate Area. The closure resulted in traffic congestion in the Corporate Area, prompting the Government to construct the bypass.
Meanwhile, he said that the construction of the road did not yield as many jobs as people in and around the community expected.
As such, Lena said that he has to be explaining to some of the men how things work.
Still, some of the men are not pleased
"A only the Chiney dem a work, and mi nuh feel good. Dem lay off all a the black man dem and a dem one a work," said Stamma, who once worked on the bypass.
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However, Lena said: "The amount a people that work on it is like 15, and some a them come from 'Backto' (Majesty Gardens). Nobody nah work now, a just the Chinese. Sometimes it is about to cause a havoc because sometimes the man dem nuh understand, so me haffi a try talk to them and give a man a work when I can. Things slow down yah now."
While Lena tries to quell the tension among the men, the residents are left to battle a mosquito situation.
Lena claims that since the road construction began, the mosquitoes have increased, and they are plaguing the community even more.
"Dem come out like five in the evening, [and] you haffi run. It is like rain a fall when dem come up," he said.
However, some community members stated that mosquitoes have been a nuisance for a very long time, and they do not believe it is linked to the road.
"Mosquito deh yah from long time because a di bush. We just wah fi de-bush and that's all," one resident said.