MINISTER with responsibility for works Robert Morgan is urging residents of Camberwell, St Mary, to exercise a bit more patience as work continues on the main road in the community.

Residents have expressed concern about the time the roadwork is taking and the inconvenience they are now facing.

But on Thursday Morgan pointed to several issues which have slowed the work, as he pointed out that the project is progressing.

Morgan noted that the Camberwell main road was added to the community roads in St Mary South Eastern on February 15, 2025 as part of the Government’s multi-billion- dollar Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme by the National Works Agency (NWA), with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) the selected contractor.

“Due to the remote and poor exiting access of the 1.4 kilometre (km) of roadway intended to be rehabilitated — and where the logistics was finalised and works advanced by the contractor since mobilisation to the site — some 1.1km was rehabilitated and paved before a spate of rains hampered that work during a period between February and April earlier this year,” Morgan told the Jamaica Observer.

“There was a section along the valley side of the road that was affected by the rains and resulted in a slippage some 35 metres long.

The design team has revised the scope to include a 50-metre section of cantilevered retaining wall to repair the breached section of the road, given the height differential from ground level to road surface.

“It should be noted that despite efforts to get pre-mixed concrete delivered to the site by the main suppliers using mechanical mixing trucks, progress has been slower than normal as the contractor has had to resort to an on-site small mechanical mixer that produces some five to eight cubic metres per day,” added Morgan.

He said since works resumed some six weeks ago, the projected construction of the 50-metre retaining wall has progressed to fill the lowest 1.5 metres height of some 16 metres, with an additional 1.5 metres to be added to that height to take it just above road level.

“That, and a second half of the wall, is now to be constructed and projected for another six weeks,” said Morgan.

The minister pointed out that it is possible for cars to continue to ply both sides of the construction site between Gray’s Inn Road and Camberwell Town square, while only pedestrian movement is possible through the 50-metre length of the overall work site, as materials being used in the construction of the retaining wall is stored on the road surface, given the tight available space within which to manoeuvre where the breakaway occurred.

“While there is hardship being experienced by the community, the Government and contractor implore the public to be a little more long-suffering while the technical challenges associated with the only feasible design of a cantilevered retaining wall is overcome to ensure a more lasting solution for the community’s benefit,” said Morgan.