THE situation at El Greco has been a perennial problem spanning well over 10 years. And it still hasn’t been fixed, despite pleas from the community.
The problem sometimes leaves the city in gridlock whenever it rains due to flooding which forces motorists to use Sunset Blvd, the only other road leading into the city.
Sometimes it takes hours to get to the other side of town.
In October 2007, the Minister of Transport and Works, seeing our plight, gave the assurance that the road would be fixed.
The NWA was mandated with the responsibility of fixing the road which they assured the Minister and the Community would be completed by December 1, 2007. Other technical work associated with the project would be carried out to dispose of the pooling of water which settles in the area whenever it rains, after the road surface is completed.
To date, almost two months later, apart from the buildingup of the road in some areas, the road surface has been left in a deplorable state with no sign of any work being done at present!
I consider this to be very tardy as we were assured by the Minister that the funding was in place and that completion was set for December 1.
With the Jazz Festival taking place in the city, and giving us an excellent opportunity to showcase Jamaica, it is very disheartening to see that once again we have failed to deliver, even on a project so small.
One is forced to ask, Who really is to be blamed for the neglect of Montego Bay? Are we just shifting the blame at times and making excuses for our failure to effectively manage and implement these projects?
If Montego Bay and the Region are to move forward with the explosive growth slated to take place in the next few years, our state agencies must understand that there is no room for complacency and that they need to become more proactive and committed to seeing to the timely and proper execution of projects, with effective leadership emanating from within these agencies.
