Residents ‘destroy our roads as well’, says Holness

Jamaicans are being implored not to damage, but to protect the nation's roads when they are repaired or constructed under the various roadwork initiatives that are currently being undertaken by the Government.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, while recently touring one of the project sites for the $45 billion Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) programme, said citizens also contribute to destroying the roads by, for example, burning tires to stage protests.

"As citizens and residents, we destroy our roads as well. We destroy our roads when we burn tyres on them for protests and demonstrations," he stated.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

"We destroy our roads when we are doing construction, when we put aggregates on the road, when we mix cement on the road, when we drive heavy equipment on the road, when we put tractors on the road and disturb the asphalt surface.

"So, when we repair this road, when we rehabilitate it to the highest standards, you the community, you have a duty to protect and maintain the road," Holness urged.

He said if their water pipes should break, for example, residents have a duty to repair their pipes quickly so that it does not damage the road surfaces.

"If you are doing construction, respect the surface of the road. Don't mix the cement on the road. Don't use your heavy equipment to disturb the surface of the road," Holness advised.

In addition to the SPARK programme, the Government is conducting road maintenance projects under the REACH programme and the constituency mitigation programme.