A section of the Mount Rosser main road in St Catherine was yesterday converted to allow single lane traffic only, as the National Works Agency (NWA) starts work to replace a burnt-out culvert.

Manager, communication and customer services at the NWA, Stephen Shaw said that the section of road to be affected is in the vicinity of the area referred to as “Man Bump”. The changes, he said, are expected to be in effect until next week Monday.

Shaw said that given the history of fires in the area, the NWA will not be replacing the burnt out culvert with a plastic pipe, as it did some two years ago, but will instead use the conventional concrete pipes.

The plastic pipe culvert which was burnt out after an oil spill about two years ago was replaced at the time with a similar drain. The pipe was again burnt recently after garbage was thrown into its invert and then set on fire.

Shaw said that the practice of setting fires in the vicinity of plastic culverts has in recent times posed serious threats to road users, especially motorists who are not aware of the danger of the road collapsing under the weight of their vehicles, as the pipes had been burnt from beneath the road.

The NWA, said Shaw, has in recent times had to replace fire damaged culverts from beneath roads in Manchester, St Mary and St Catherine. Shaw said the support of the public is being solicited in ensuring that the road infrastructure is not compromised by such a practice.