KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Work to correct land slippage along a section of the North/South link of Highway 2000 should be completed by mid-February.

During a tour of the highway on January 19, Senior Toll Road Inspector, Delon Wauchope, said that over a period of time, rainwater has been building up behind the bedrock, which had no proper drainage. This resulted in the saturated bedrock breaking away. 

To alleviate the problem, the developer, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), has initiated the terracing of the slopes and has instituted a proper drainage system. 

Toll Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Joan Fletcher indicated that while CHEC carry out repairs, the project could be delayed should there be any shift in the weather. 

Last May, the toll operators closed a section of the highway to facilitate cleanup following a massive landslide, which occurred in the vicinity of the 33-kilometre mark. Work has continued in reinforcing the protective walls to prevent a recurrence.

Meanwhile, regarding the rest-stops located on the highway, Fletcher said the Jamaica North South Highway Company (JNSHC), operators of the highway, has been in dialogue with people wishing to occupy the facilities. 

“That is not going as quickly as they (JNSHC) would have liked. Some of the persons who should have taken it over are a little slow on the draw. We are hoping that this will be sped up so they will actually take up the shops, as it was indicated that they had wanted to,” she said. 

Executive Director of the National Road Safety Council (NRSC), Paula Fletcher, said her agency requested a tour of the highway to gain answers, especially about the section of the highway under repair. 

Fletcher said she is satisfied that the land-slippage problem will be addressed. 

“They [engineers] said they are happier with what is being done, the remedies that have been put in place. We have been assured that some of the measures undertaken would impact not just what you see on the surface but deep down where the problem is,” she noted. 

Several stakeholders participated in the tour of the 66-kilometre highway, which extends from Caymanas in St Catherine to Ocho Rios in St Ann. These included the traffic police, toll authority, National Works Agency and the NRSC.