SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — All agreed that the $10 million allocated for patching work on the badly scoured Jointwood Road, which links Maggotty to Elderslie in North West St Elizabeth, “is just a drop in the bucket”.

But junior minister for Works, Richard Azan, and local political representatives also agreed that it is “a start and better than nothing”.

Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth North West, JC Hutchinson, who represents the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), and the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) councillor for the Ipswich Division Errol Hummingbird told journalists that they expected more resources to be made available in time.

“I recognise the minister has just come to look at the roads (but) I am hoping he will provide some funds for the main road to augment the $10 million…,” Hutchinson told journalists.

On a quick road tour – much of it driving in rain – Azan saw for himself dangerously potholed and broken sections of the Jointwood Road. Locals pointed out that the roadway is strategic since it links Maggotty through Elderslie to St James, through Niagara and Mocho to Montego Bay.

They claim that if properly maintained, the road, on the fringes of the rugged Cockpit Country, could become the easiest route, not only for residents of St Elizabeth going to Montego Bay, but for tourists travelling from the island’s North Coast to the South Coast, and vice versa.

“That is one of the roads, which, if you could get it fixed, you could have tourists coming up from Montego Bay and even Ocho Rios to come to St Elizabeth… it would make it easier to get to the south coast of St Elizabeth,” Hummingbird said.

Azan made it clear that while all options remained open, shortage of money was a huge drawback.

“We have plans for almost all the roads but funding is scarce… the demand is big but the resources are quite small. I won’t tell you that all the roads will be taken care of in this financial year, but we have programmes for all our major roads,” he said.

Hutchinson pleaded the need for major resurfacing to upgrade the Middle Quarters to New Market main road, which currently provides the shortest viable route from St Elizabeth to Montego Bay; as well as major rehabilitation required for the stretrch from Springfield to Pisgah.

Azan’s tour also took him and National Works Agency officials to Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) projects in South East St Elizabeth and South West St Elizabeth.

In Junction, South Eeast St Elizabeth they inspected an upgrade of a district road which is to serve as a southerly bypass for the bustling, fast-growing town.

A feature of the tour was at Big Woods in South West St Elizabeth where a $10.1-million box culvert bridge was officially opened. The section of road had been closed for years because of hurricane damage, forcing motorists to detour through private land.

Azan confirmed to journalists that $120 million had been allocated for the recently announced major upgrade of the Mountainside to Watchwell road, which links Lacovia to the seaside resort of Treasure Beach.