WESTERN BUREAU — Within another few weeks the National Works Agency should begin a new round of rehabilitation work on parochial roads in Westmoreland at a cost of some $50-million.

Contractor DR Foote Construction Limited will carry out the work under the Urban/Rural Rehabilitation and Maintenance programme. Work will include:

* the total rehabilitation of road surfaces;

* the construction of side drains;

* and the cleaning and installation of culverts to improve drainage.

As part of the agreement that was hammered out between the contractor and the NWA last year, DR Foote will be responsible for maintaining the rehabilitated roads for the next five years.

Meanwhile, other rehabilitation work, valued at $15-million, which has been ongoing in the parish since November of last year is almost complete.

Stephen Shaw, the NWA’s community relations officer for western Jamaica, told the Observer this week that the work was between 60 and 70 percent complete. The work, which is being done on about 15 kilometres of roadway, includes roads at Orange Hill and York Mountain.

Those roads are being rehabilitated under the Flood Damage programme.

Rehabilitation work is also being conducted, under the Urban/Rural Rehabilitation programme, on Beckford and Dalling Streets in Savanna-la-Mar and on the Red Ground road in Negril .

Work is also expected to begin shortly on Cooke Street, Seaton Crescent and Queen Street in Savanna-la-mar, the NWA said.