People’s National Party caretaker for Hanover Eastern, Andrea Purkiss has condemned what she says is the deterioration of the constituency’s road network, describing it as a mounting crisis that threatens both economic survival and public safety.

“Our farming communities are being strangled by these impassable roads,” Purkiss declared, claiming that agricultural producers – the backbone of the local economy – are struggling to transport their crops to market.

She said the situation has become particularly dire along the major arterial route between Macfield and Shettlewood on the Savanna-la-Mar to Montego Bay corridor, where she claimed that a gauntlet of dangerous potholes forces travelers to navigate “an obstacle course with no alternative.”

Purkiss said the constituency’s infrastructure woes extend far beyond a single troubled stretch. The Ramble to Hopewell road through Miles Town and Bamboo stands as a monument to governmental inefficiency, with repairs dragging on for over a year with no end in sight, she claimed.

According to the PNP caretaker, communities including Cascade, Woodlands, Haddington, Lethe, Shettlewood, Chichester, and Old Pen have seen their connecting roads deteriorate into patchworks of potholes.

Of particular concern, she said, is the Shettlewood to Macfield rehabilitation project, a five-mile stretch that she said has languished in construction limbo for over 18 months.

“This isn’t just about inconvenience,” Purkiss said. “These delays and deteriorating conditions are forcing fundamental changes in our communities.”

She alleged that the impact is starkly evident in the Mont Peto, Chigwell, and Old Pen areas, where she said residents face a stark choice: endure lengthy walks to reach main roads for work or abandon their communities entirely.

Purkiss further alleged that deteriorating infrastructure has begun to compromise public safety, with police patrols unable to access certain areas due to the hazardous road conditions.

In light of what she said were escalating challenges, Purkiss has issued a direct appeal to roads minister Robert Morgan, calling for Eastern Hanover to be designated as an infrastructure emergency zone.

“The constituency has devolved into a disaster area where road conditions are concerned,” she stated. “We need immediate intervention before the situation becomes truly irreversible.”