SPRING MOUNT, St James — A soil test is among the items to be done before the State-run National Works Agency (NWA) can finalise a design to rebuild Spring Mount road in south St James. Last October’s Hurricane Melissa caused two major breakaways on the heavily trafficked route, leaving commuters with the choice of engaging in risky road use or a much longer, more costly journey.

With schools about to reopen, residents of Spring Mount and neighbouring areas have become increasingly anxious for an update on what is being done to fix the road. They were given the clearest signal, Thursday evening, that the road will likely be rebuilt in the same location; but there was no timeline on when work will start.

“We are looking to build back the road. We have looked at different possibilities and I can tell you straight up, one of the things that we are looking at is to take down the hillside and acquire [those] two houses on top of the hill,” manager of communication and customer services at the National Works Agency (NWA) Stephen Shaw told residents during a meeting held at Spring Mount Basic School.

He said the goal is to rehabilitate the roadway as soon as possible, restoring the vital connection between the north and south of the parish. The damage has made safe passage by vehicular traffic impossible just beyond Spring Mount Police Station. Residents have established a pedestrian path which is sometimes utilised by motorcyclists.

Shaw made it clear that there will be challenges in executing the project, given its scope and magnitude.

“It is not the normal run of the mill [approach of] looking at it as a breakaway, put up a wall, backfill it, and move on. No. We are going to have to do what are called bore hole tests,” he warned, adding that this falls outside the technical capabilities of the NWA and a private sector firm would have to be engaged.

These tests, he explained, will provide laboratory-based information on the soil in the area that will guide the designs on which work has already started.

“That testing of the material beneath there will inform us as to what else, if required, needs to be done to ensure that… when we build up that road, you have it longer than all of us inside here will live,” Shaw told the audience.

“Based on the survey that was executed, a design is being worked on but that design will not be finalised until the boreholes are done,” he added.

He explained the importance of the soil tests.

“A crucial factor in this area is the springs. It’s called Spring Mount for a reason. We have to design with that in mind to ensure that we don’t see a situation where we build a big wall, costing a lot of money… and then, [as seen in other locations] rain came, and the entire retaining wall just moved like… it was plastic,” Shaw outlined.

“We have that kind of experience and historical knowledge on which to build or not to build. We are not taking anything lightly in ensuring that the design solutions that we come up with, they are adequate, they are appropriate, are sufficient, and necessary for the particular areas that we are going to be working,” he added.

Responding to residents’ questions about timelines, the NWA representative said he was unable to provide one as it depends on the soil testing which is being done outside of the agency. He did, however, promise to explore ways in which alternate routes — such as the journey through Kempshot, up the treacherous Charlie Mount — may be improved.

Councillor Uvel Graham (Jamaica Labour Party, Spring Mount Division) was at the meeting and while he acknowledged that the project is complex he expressed frustration that it is moving too slowly.

“To be honest, I was looking for more of a timeline and that these tests would be done already and people would be hearing that the next two to three months, the work would start,” he told the
Jamaica Observer after the meeting.