MINISTER of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie says he is pleased with the recent repair of a two-kilometre stretch of roadway in the Bigwoods community of Westmoreland.

Work on the roadway was done at a cost of $42 million and was funded by the ministry’s Equalisation Fund.

“When I was driving on it, I really felt good. It took us some time but I am happy that we went through the process so nobody can question how it was done,” the minister told
JIS News.

McKenzie said an arrangement is in place to ensure that the contractors are responsible for the repair of the roadway, should it begin to fall back into a state of disrepair.

“The contractor is obligated within a certain amount of time to maintain the road — and if anything goes wrong within that period of time it is their responsibility to ensure that the necessary repairs are done,” he underscored.

McKenzie also lauded Bigwoods resident Velma Campbell-Robinson, who lives on that stretch of road, for advocating for the repair of the roadway.

Meanwhile, Campbell-Robinson expressed gratitude to the minister for ensuring that the road was repaired, noting that the repairs have drawn the attention of several persons from outside the community.

“It’s a very good thing because people have been coming here touring, like tourists; they said they had to come and look [at the road] …,” she said.

“I begged for this road many times. I asked you [to fix the road] and you were so faithful, and you came,” Campbell-Robinson added.

Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Eastern Daniel Lawrence expressed gratitude to McKenzie for ensuring the repair of the road, noting that it makes a lot of difference in the constituency.

McKenzie’s stop in the Bigwoods community formed part of a recent working visit to the parish of Westmoreland.