Transport Minister says ‘No’ to Gorge closure

Sunday, May 29, 2011

PLANS for the June 6 closure of the Bog Walk Gorge in St Catherine announced by the National Works Agency (NWA) on Thursday have come to a screeching halt.

Transport Minister Mike Henry, in a release sent out by the NWA yesterday, said the closure has been rescheduled to a date yet to be announced.

NWA Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Wong had announced just three days prior that the corridor was going to be closed in two weeks in order to facilitate the completion of pipe-laying works by the National Water Commission (NWC).

But Henry said Saturday, that this clashes with the revived Jamaica Railway Corporation’s plans.

“The planned closure of the Gorge cannot be implemented on June 6, as the planned resumption of rail service between Linstead and Spanish Town will not be in place,” the works minister said in the release.

He noted that he will advise the public of the effective date of closure of the corridor for the pipe-laying project to be completed.

The NWC wants to close the corridor for one month in order to allow for the replacement of the old asbestos pipeline which runs through it.

The work is part of the US$210-million upgrading of the water supply system to the Kingston and Metropolitan Areas, St Catherine and some rural areas under the Jamaica Water Sector Improvement Project (JWSIP).

This is not the first time there has been indecision over the timeline for the closure of the Gorge.

On March 15, the Minister of Water and Housing, Dr Horace Chang ordered a review of the original March 21 date announced for the proposed closure of the Bog Walk Gorge, following public outcry that it would be extremely disruptive to motorists to do so with just a week’s notice.