MONTEGO BAY, St James — With a mesh barrier now in place vendors have welcomed the move by the St James Municipal Corporation to minimise dust nuisance from construction being done on sections of the heavily used Market and St James streets in this western city.

“It’s good man, I feel good about it,” a soup vendor who gave his name as Hulk told the Jamaica Observer.

He said he has been selling soup on Market Street for more than 30 years.

His cart is set up just outside the meshed area, a few metres from where he would normally be. According to Hulk, without the mesh he would have had to move further away, but with the protective barrier in place, he has not been adversely affected by the work being done.

“We give thanks that we are still here until it finish, and then we can return inside when it finish,” he said.

It was a similar sentiment expressed by Colin, who sells newspapers and other items on St James Street.

“We nuh see no dust man, this good man,” he told the Observer above the sounds of a jackhammer being used at the time.

“I can still do mi business, no problem,” Colin said.

He used the opportunity to thank the local authorities for the work being done, indicating that it’s been a while since anything like that has happened to the area.

However, while Dave who also sells on Market Street, welcomes the move to reduce the dust nuisance, he said there has been other fallout from the construction being done.

“Since the mesh has come up, you find that a lot of persons have to detour. If they come to see you, it has to be intentional,” he explained.

“There has been a dip in business for some people, a significant dip I would say. I’m not displaced right now because this is my regular space, but the other people who are displaced have to go look for their customers because those who were in the middle are not there anymore. As far as the dust and everything that contains it, they are doing a good job with that, but businesses are suffering for sure,” Dave added.

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon told the Observer that the mesh barrier will be used in other areas of the city as the municipal corporation continues its upgrades.

“It is used to protect the sidewalk, control dust, and increase safety overall. We will continue using it for work being done under similar conditions,” he said.

The ongoing work is part of a $40-million spruce up of sections of St James Street and Lower Market Street. The work, which includes installing paving stones, is expected to be completed within the next few months.

“All projects have either been completed or will be completed before September. Nonetheless, upgrades will be ongoing as we move to other areas across the city to restore the urban space,” Vernon said.