ST MARY, Jamaica— People’s National Party Caretaker for St Mary South Eastern, Dr Shane Alexis today said he will be requesting that the government provide updates on the road improvements previously announced for the Junction main road in the parish.

According to a statement from Alexis, the main road which passes through the St Mary South Eastern constituency, “poses a clear and present danger to the lives of the travelling public.”

“Today it has triggered a major mudslide that covered a motor vehicle with passengers, caused flooding in the vicinity of Broadgate as well as increased inconvenience and uncertainty for its users,”Alexis said in his statement.

He added that patients and members of staff from the Annotto Bay Hospital were also impacted due to the blockage.

Alexis said the road improvement which was announced in September of 2017 by the Prime Minister Andrew Holness has stalled and while the community welcomes the attempts to develop the corridor, “the dangers and potential loss of life that the incomplete project now poses are unacceptable and are irresponsible.”

The caretaker said he will be requesting that the Parliamentary Opposition table the following questions of the responsible Minister.

1. Has the project as it was announced been completed and if not what is the time frame for its safe completion?

2. What is now the total expenditure on the project to the end of this financial year and what is the total estimated expenditure to completion?

3. Does the soil test report from the Environmental Impact Assessment Plan (mandatory) support the level of active development/excavation above an active roadway?

4. What were the recommended safety measures for the same roadway and are they currently implemented?

5. Since the project has been stalled for more than 30 days and therefore no longer an active site, what measures were put in place by the supervising agency to ensure public safety?