A sewerage and road construction project which has been ongoing for moths throughout the town of Port Antonio is hitting businesses deep in the pockets as the congestion throughout the town has caused many persons to stay away from the parish capital.

The usually bustling commercial district has been in a state of chaos for months now with several traffic changes causing great inconvenience to pedestrians, motorists and businesses alike.

Throughout the town, roads have been dug up or blocked off, while the entrances to several businesses have been made almost inaccessible.

The multimillion dollar water sewerage project is being designed to improve the water sewerage and drainage system in Port Antonio and to save the National Water Commission (NWC) from losing millions of gallons of water.

Acting Deputy Superintendent for Port Antonio fire department??? Raymond Goodlett said the congestion has negatively impacted the ability of essential services like the fire department to respond to emergencies.

“Although we get notice about the traffic changes there are times when we are not aware of some of them and then this delay the response time as we have to find new routes, and the traffic jam at times adds to the long response time,” he told the Jamaica Observer North East.

He explained that the normal response time to a fire in Boundbrook community is normally two minutes, however, that same journey now takes ten minutes or more.

While Goodlett acknowledges that the work is good for the town’s development, he said persons have been unforgiving when they take that long to respond.

According to Goodlett, the construction work has also disrupted the operation of several fire hydrants throughout the town.

Three of the main streets where businesses have been seriously impacted are West Street, Harbour Street and William Street.

Several business operators told the Observer North East that they are being seriously impacted by the dug up and closed roads as well as the dust nuisance.

Business operators along Harbour Street said the chaos in the town has only served to add to their already shrinking profit margin.

“We have reduced staff by 50 percent and have been rotating staff, as there is maximum dislocation with no communication and information from those in authority. No one to say what is happening, where we should drive, or what is expected,” one operator bemoaned.

He argued that there is absolutely no management of the project and the town is in chaos.

“All roads are dug up at the same time – the main road and the alternate routes. Imagine the three main roads where most commerce are, have been dug up at the same time,” he argued.

” Some roads have been dug up for months and not complete. Some are dug up the same place three different times laying pipes. We can’t get information on when the project will be completed and the authorities are not acting,” he said, adding, “that while the project is a good one it lacks management and leadership”.

Another business operator on William Street Bobby Goodhall said he has had to relocate sections of his operations.

“We have seen sales down by 50 percent” said Goodhall.

He noted that the work could have been better executed even as he questioned why no work is done at nights or weekends.

One operator of a Wholesale told the Observer North East that with William, Blake and sections of Harbour streets blocked off they are unable to plan properly for Christmas.

“We had to cut staff by 10 per cent and sales have been down by 40 per cent. This is a major business street and look at its state. It has been difficult to get goods delivered here. The development is good but there is little disregard for the business community” she disclosed.

General Manager of Portland Credit Union Martin Blackwood pointed to the fact that although they were told West Street would be closed for three weeks it is has gone more than six weeks. He also noted that the manholes have been left open and filled with muddy water.

“This is a Friday and the banking hall is empty. This is not normal for a Friday,” he said, adding, “Most of our clients are elderly and they drive and because of the road situation they can’t come because there is no where to drive and park,” he said.

Deposits, and repayment of loans, he said, have also decreased since.

” Persons who will come and repay their loans over the counter are not coming here anymore and when you call them they say they can’t get to you because of the mud and they can’t walk or drive so they are not coming to service their debts,” Blackwood said.

Taxi operators say the construction has also been impacting their livelihood.

“It is more than terrible. The traffic has been bad and we are locked for long times in traffic jams, using a lot of fuel” the operator said.

“You go on one street now and when you are returning you are told to go somewhere else and when you go there its blocked off and you have to find other routes. It bad man. No planning”.

A barber operating on West Street, who identified himself as Carlton, said road work which has been ongoing for the last seven months has been very bad for his business.

“The dust has impacted my customers and myself with the acting up of the sinus. Most of my customers are returned residents and elderly persons who drive and they cannot get access as the road has been dug up for a very long time and very little work is going on,” he said.

Charlton said he is now unable to pay his rent and utilities.

” I may have to start doing home visits as this is what some have now requested,” he added.

Many Portland residents have resorted to travelling into Kingston to do their shopping as it is more convenient than battling the congestion in the town.

Mayor of Port Antonio Councillor Benny White admitted to having received many complaints about the inconvenience the project has caused but maintains that the construction is good for the town and could not have been avoided.

“The extended work time on West Street was because of some problems because of the material and the structure of the culvert and water in some areas,” he explained.

On loss of revenue by some business the mayor said on the other hand the project employs more than 250 Portlanders, and 40 sub-contractors.

“So it has brought economic benefit to the parish. Families have benefited, businesses, stores, villas and houses,” he said, adding that he did not know of any business place whose entrance has been blocked off or access denied.

However, as was evident during the Observer North East visit one weekend, the entrance to Bethesda Gospel Hall and Basic School’s entrance was blocked off to vehicular traffic.

As for the allegations of poor management of the project the mayor said, “I don’t think it is bad planning as the old system is connected to each other. Take like William Street Blake Street and Harbour Street and there is no way you can do part of William Blake and Harbour streets before you do the other part as the streets and lanes are narrow”.

Vincent Montillom, project manager at Vinci Constructions, contractors of the project, acknowledged the inconvenience Portlanders and others who use the town are facing but said the contract stipulated that the work be done within normal working hours. Any deviation from this, he said, would increase the cost.

He noted that in some areas “over 90 per cent of the work is completed and most of the major works will be completed by December 21.

“The water works is finished as we have laid ten kilometres of pipes. It is two parallel system and we still have some shifting to do. Some persons have been without water but its 99 per cent complete and the sewerage system is also 99 per cent complete. The drainage is ninety per cent complete” he said.

He explained that there were some problems with West Street as the material was sub-standard but that has since been rectified.

“We have the right material now that has been tested and approved by the agency (National Works Agency) and the work should get on the way.

He pointed out that the project is on time and within budget as there was an extension due to an adjustment in the contract. The project, he said, started in March 2013 for completion in September 2014 but has been extended because of adjustments made.

CAPTION

Road work which is crippling businesses in Portland’s parish capital Port Antonio.

(Photos: Everard Owen)