MONTEGO BAY, St James — Owners of derelict vehicles who the St James Municipal Corporation said ignored notices to remove them from “Slaughterhouse Road” saw their vehicles taken to the dump Monday morning.

The road, officially Lazaretta Drive, is to be rehabilitated under the Government’s $45-billion Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

Work on Slaughterhouse Road hit a snag as the contractor, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), found the area littered with old vehicles while containers used as shops encroached on other sections of the road.

Monday’s early-morning clean-up was a joint effort by the municipal corporation and Western Parks and Markets (WPM) — the regional arm of National Solid Waste Management Authority.

Representative of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Cao Teng (second left) has the attention of (from left) chairman of the commercial services committee of the St James Municipal Corporation Councillor Arthur Lynch; liaison officer for CHEC Leroy Lowe; and mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon during Monday’s removal of derelict vehicles from Lazaretta Drive.

“Today we are doing the clearance so that the team from China Harbour can start the infrastructural work,” mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon told reporters as the removals were being done.

“The work started but they had to stop because they encountered some challenges regarding encroachment and that’s what we are dealing with today,” he added.

Vernon said WPM generated notices and the corporation’s enforcement team helped with the heavy lifting on Monday. A tractor and several trucks were among the equipment used. Notices of removal could be seen attached to several of the vehicles as they were loaded into trucks to be carted off to a disposal site. It is unlikely that this will be the last time something like this is done.

“Any roadway that is looking like this one at Lazaretta Drive in Montego Bay, it is going to get the same type of treatment,” the mayor vowed.

A section of Lazaretta Drive in Montego Bay where work has started on the sidewalk under the SPARK project.

“We are going to come in, we are going to clean it up, and we’re going to improve the infrastructure in the space. So, if know that you are operating a sidewalk garage or you are encroaching on our roadways, start looking at formalising your businesses because this is how we are going to deal with it,” he added.

The clean-up is being bankrolled from the coffers of the corporation and there is no charge to owners whose old vehicles are dumped.

“Persons must take us seriously when we say that we are going to come and fix a space and we want the derelict vehicles, which are encroaching on our roadway, to be removed,” Vernon remarked.

“Once that 14 days’ notice period has expired then we start our enforcement action which is to come in and take it out ourselves. If it means demolition, then it’s demolition; we remove the vehicles, tear down the buildings and we move forward in terms of improvement. That is what we do,” he asserted.

However, there is wriggle room for some of the buildings in the area who have a shot at regularising their status.

These containers were encroaching on a section of Lazaretta Drive in Montego Bay, and the St James Municipal Corporation has put owners on notice that they need to be removed.

“For containers and shops, based on the advice from the technical persons, they got notice. But if we are going to facilitate the containers and the shops, then they would have to pay an encroachment fee or a rental fee to use the reserve,” Vernon explained.

The stretch of road slated for repair connects Howard Cooke Boulevard to Pop Lawrence Road, formerly known as River Bay Road.

“This is a road that was selected as a SPARK road. The Member of Parliament Heroy Clarke [St James Central] advocated for this road — having been recommended by myself, the councillor for this area. I’m happy that today we are getting the road done,” Vernon stated.

The mayor explained that the upgrade will address a number of issues that now make the road rarely used.

Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon watches as work is done, Monday, to clear derelict vehicles from Lazaretta Drive.

“We will have drainage repairs, installation of a curb and drainage system that will bring the water from the roadway to the main drain at the side,” he explained.

“After they have completed that part of the work, they will then start the layering of asphalt,” Vernon added.

The mayor said they are expecting value for money.

“The SPARK road programme is done in such a way that when they’re through, the road will serve for a longer period of time. It’s not a patchwork, it is a full rehabilitation,” stated Vernon.