Emergency funds to fix Portland roads
Published:Friday | May 5, 2023 | 12:17 AMGareth Davis Snr/Gleaner Writer
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, EASTERN PORTLAND:
Government Minister Everald Warmington says $15 million is to be made available to carry out emergency work on sections of the roadway in Mill Bank and Ginger House in Portland, which he described as the worst he has seen in recent times.
Warmington toured sections of the Rio Grande Valley in East Portland on Wednesday with Member of Parliament Annmarie Vaz to view the condition of the roadways including sections at Mill Bank, Ginger House and Cornwall Barracks.
“A number of those roads are in a deplorable condition. I have asked the NWA (National Works Agency) team to scope a $15 million emergency project for this right now, to try and make the surface [road surface] a little better to use. Because I wouldn’t be satisfied living down here with that condition. So the government will release $15 million as an emergency to address the situation,” Warmington said.
So far, $30 million has been spent to upgrade a section of the roadway from Alligator Church Bridge to Kent, which is approximately three kilometres of asphalted roadway, in phase one of the road improvements in the Rio Grande Valley. An additional $50 million is to be spent in phase two of that project.
“We look at it as we go along and try see how best we can address those ... We have the Comfort Castle break-away, which I have asked the team to scope. There is the Ginger house break-away, Cornwall Barracks break-away, and Tom’s Hope break-away. I can assure the Member of Parliament Annmarie Vaz and the people of Eastern Portland that the government listens and will react, and all of these projects will be addressed,” he added.
“For less than that there have been road blockage and demonstration and such forth. The condition is probably the worst I have seen,” he remarked.
Warmington, who is the minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works, was accompanied by a technical team from the NWA during the extended tour of Eastern Portland on Wednesday.