MONTEGO BAY, St James – A $30-million drain reconstruction project will be undertaken along Railway Lane in this western city.

The project, brainchild of Councillor Richard Vernon (Jamaica Labour Party, Montego Bay South Division), will seek to remedy the effects of the current deteriorated drainage systems across that section of downtown.

“The project is justified by the physical deterioration of the existing drainage infrastructure in the area, which accounts for flooding, stagnation, and pollution and serves as a mosquito breeding site. Therefore, reconstruction will address those public health and environmental issues, reduce flooding impacts as well as improve the infrastructure in the district,” Vernon told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

Known for flooding once there is consistent rainfall, Vernon said that business operators along Railway Lane will see better days as the proposed fix will address their complaints. During the last hurricane season, Councillor Vernon expressed the belief that the city had outgrown its gullies. His major concern was whether or not the city’s drains will be able to cope if there is heavy or prolonged rainfall. That was the encouragement behind the project.

“Based on the initial assessment, the people of the area will experience improved varying environmental conditions at the end of this project due to reduced stagnation and ease of maintenance,” said Vernon, who is also deputy mayor of Montego Bay.

Additionally, Vernon explained that once completed, the drainage system in surrounding areas will also benefit from the drain reconstruction. He pointed out that approximately 80 per cent of the drains will be reconstructed to increase the capacity of water that they can carry. However, he quickly noted that all of the drains will be cleaned during the process.

“The drain project that is being undertaken is for the infrastructure located at Railway Lane. It adjoins the stormwater drain that channels the Catherine Lane and River Bay Road zones,” Vernon explained.

The councillor continued, “The intention is to improve the entire downtown area. We will be conceptualising the preliminary urban renewal plan for the division by January 2024, which will tie into the city and national plans. However, it will take time and funding to produce a fully integrated urban plan. At both stages of the renewal plan, priority will be given to flood-prone areas across the division.”

In the meantime, Vernon told the Sunday Observer that the $30-million project, which is being financed by the Equalisation Fund, is expected to begin shortly.

“The project recently received procurement clearance from the Public Procurement Commission and should start immediately, pending weather conditions,” he said.

News of the drain project was well received by business owners along Railway Lane, who told the Sunday Observer that they desperately need the drains fixed.

One businesswoman, Lisa Campbell, said that she has had to take matters into her own hands as the drains had overflowed into her shop. Campbell explained that every morning, before welcoming her customers, she has to sweep water from the inside her business place.

“The water runs out of the drains and goes under the shop so the whole place gets wet. I had to use powdered chlorine to sprinkle to stop mosquitoes and then get a guy to pack up some stones to stop the water from running under my shop,” said Campbell.

“This does not only happen when it rains, but it is worse whenever it rains,” she pointed out.

Campbell went on to note that based on the conditions of the drains along Railway Lane, along with the weather conditions being experienced in Montego Bay, this project will need to quickly address their concerns.

“I just think that there is something under the road clogging up the drains, so they need to get that sorted,” the businesswoman told the Sunday Observer.

Hope Taylor, another business operator, also welcomed the project.

“The gutters overflow with water every time it rains around here, so we need this project. The gutters need to be cleaned properly so that the water can run how it’s supposed to. Once the gutters are cleaned there will be no flooding,” Taylor said.

According to Anthony Grey, he too experiences major flooding inside his small grocery store when it rains.