Irwin, St James – After four years of agonisingly shoddy roads that have left students walking to school in mud as they compete with motorists skipping crater-sized potholes, a 1,300-metre stretch of the Pegga Road which runs from the Tucker main road into Irwin has been fixed. It was a goodwill gesture by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), contractors of the US$278-million Montego Bay perimeter road project.

Residents are ecstatic.

Among them is president of the Irwin Development Committee, Clayton Duckie who said the road has long been a source of frustration for motorists and commuters, including students of three schools in the area.

“This road has been deplorable for the past four years now and we have been advocating and begging the authorities to come and assist,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Initially, he said, residents thought the work being done was yet another quick patch of potholes with marl that would soon be eroded by rainfall.

“But when we started to see the asphalt, we realised that there was going to be a difference and it was going to ease the situation in the community,” an elated Duckie told Observer West.

“So right now the community is grateful. Even if it was to last two weeks, it would have made a difference for those two weeks. And the impact is so great, especially on the taxi operators,” he added.

Cabbie Andrae Montague, who plies the Irwin route, agreed, saying the shoddy roads have been a challenge.

“It’s a joy to see Pegga Road reach this stage at this time. Over the years it has been very, very horrible, not only for the taxi operators but also for the kids from the basic, primary and high schools. The entire community road has been in such a bad condition, the children used to walk along Fairfield Avenue. Currently that road is still in a deplorable condition so because of that, the students have to walk to Pegga Road. Now that work has commenced on this road and it is asphalted, we feel good,” Montague said.

“I am encouraging them [CHEC] to continue to partner with the community to address other areas in the community that have such deplorable roads. As a taxi operator I can speak for myself and others and the community at large; we truly appreciate the work that has been done,” he added.

Meanwhile, Duckie, who appealed to motorists to resist speeding on the renovated road, wants the construction of sidewalks to be the next project.

“The kids are going to be surprised because last year they were walking in mud to school. This year they are going to have a smooth road but what we can look forward to again is the speeding drivers. So now we are going to beg for the sidewalk implementation because it’s difficult for school kids and motorists to be competing for the same space. We need a space for the kids,” he appealed.

He said since the road repairs were done about a week ago, there has already been one traffic mishap.

“We spoke to the police already; they said that they are going to partner with us during certain hours of the day and again we beg the motorists to be cautious on the road and be mindful that this is a school zone,” Duckie added.

Member of Parliament for St James West Central, the constituency in which Irwin is located, Marlene Malahoo Forte, said she has lobbied the National Works Agency (NWA) for sidewalks to be put in.

“We are trying to put in little bits of sidewalks where possible. I have asked the NWA to look at it and you would see the areas have been marked,” Malahoo Forte told Observer West.

She was also very appreciative of CHEC’s goodwill. She explained that she had played a role in getting them to act.

“When I met with China Harbour and I pleaded the case for their assistance, they responded generously. I am so pleased that the corridor from Tucker Road up to Irwin Primary has been rehabilitated,” the MP said.

“I am happy to have made the representation and grateful that CHEC has responded and assisted. The Pegga Road has really been in a bad state for a long time. In fact, all of the community roads in Irwin have been neglected for decades. I think the first major work that was done was on the Tucker Avenue Road, which I completed since becoming MP. You would have known how bad the Tucker main road itself was and that was one of my biggest infrastructure projects in the constituency. Little by little, we are getting it done and I am just utterly excited for the Irwin constituents,” she added.