ST JAMES, Jamaica— The National Works Agency (NWA) is undertaking a patching programme across the western parishes of St James, Trelawny, Hanover and Westmoreland.

The programme, which is valued at close to $300 million, targets critical sections of several roadways across the four parishes, the NWA said.

According to Community Relations Officer of the NWA’s Western Office, Janel Ricketts, the agency has, so far, completed the patching of sections of the Reading to Anchovy roadway in St James; the Falmouth to Springvale roadway in Trelawny; sections of the Dias to Davis Cove roadway in Hanover, and sections of the Bartlett River to Negril roadway in Westmoreland.

She further noted that other roadways are still to be patched as part of the programme.

“Work continues on several others across the region to include the repair of roadways in and around the city centre of Montego Bay, St James. In Trelawny, work will be done along sections of the Rock to Stewart Town main road, while in Hanover, emphasis will be placed on several roadways, including the stretch of roadway between the Shettlewood and Mackfield communities. In Westmoreland, work will be undertaken along sections of the Barneyside roadway,” Ricketts said.

“The Barneyside project, in particular, will complement major works which were completed some time ago along the Ferris to Mackfield roadway. The current work being done will take up where the earlier project left off, so we will be focusing on this section of the roadway between the Mackfield area [and] the [Hanover] parish border,” she noted.

She added that several roadways in the region are receiving attention and motorists will see an improvement in the driving conditions along these roadways.

Meanwhile, the NWA is also carrying out upgrades to a section of the North Gully, located in Green Pond, St James.

The project, which is being done at a sum of $10 million, forms part of ongoing efforts by the agency to upgrade the North Gully.

Ricketts said that the scope of work being done involves “the construction of gully walls and inverts, as well as steel fabrication and form work, and the pouring of concrete”.

She added that, over time, the NWA has executed a series of projects aimed at upgrading the North Gully, which is one of the main gullies that carry storm water through several communities close to the city of Montego Bay.

 “This latest effort is expected to complement earlier work that was completed last year. The project will also reduce the erosion of both residential and commercial properties located along the gully,” she said.