KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Works Agency (NWA) says that construction work on a retaining structure and reinstatement of the roadway along a section of the Gordon Town Road in St Andrew will commence by early February.

The agency said this follows Cabinet approval for the proposed $195-million to be spent on the project.

It explained that the design calls for the construction of a 71-metre long retaining wall to hold the road embankment at the affected location, which will form the major part of the works.

The NWA said the retaining wall will comprise of both a random rubble masonry and a reinforced concrete structure which together will be approximately 21.5 metres high. It added that a number of site visits and geological reviews had to be conducted at the site to inform the current solution as the road embankment is located on unstable soil.

The agency noted that the section of roadway, which is located along the Papine to Redlight corridor, failed in the vicinity of Stand Up Hill following heavy, incessant rainfall late last year.

The Gordon Town Road wall construction project will be completed over six months, the agency said