Relief should be coming to residents of White Hill, St Andrew, by the weekend.
Minister of Transport and Works John Boyce toured the area yesterday and heard further complaints from residents about the long distances they had to walk to and from where the bus has been turning around for the past three months; the fact that they often missed the bus by the time they reached the spot, and how hard it is on the children who returned to school last week.
Boyce gave the assurance that relief would be coming sooner rather than later.
“The infrastructural work in this area, of course is long outstanding . . . . We have to tackle it, it is affecting the normal movement of our people,” he said, adding that they would look to rehabilitate where they could.
Transport buses can no longer drive down the hill, but Boyce said weather permitting a turnaround point, which will be more accessible to residents, would be in place by the end of the week.
“We’re begging again for the cooperation of the residents, and indeed the care and attention of the Transport Board and other public service vehicles, to try to accommodate the normal movement of the people who live in these areas,” Boyce stated.
White Hill is just one of the areas receiving the attention of the ministry, and Boyce said work had been aggravated by the high level of unseasonal rains. Other areas include Turner’s Hall, Hillaby, White Hill, Jack-in-the-Box Gully, Mose Bottom, Spa, Melvin and Cane Garden.
As a result of the heavy rains, the ministry recently issued an appeal to motorists using roads in the Scotland District to exercise caution.
“Motorists are asked to reduce speed as the possibility exists for land slippage and debris can be thrown across the road, especially in corners and bends. The public is asked to note the following areas:
Ermie Bourne Highway where debris is washed away and culverts are blocked causing the water to overtop the road – this water is moving and can sweep away a vehicle so you should not attempt to drive through the water if these conditions exist;
Thompson Bridge on Highway 2 where bridge abutments have been damaged by a large boulder;
St Saviour’s Bridge on Highway 2 where the northern abutments to the bridge have been severely affected by scouring; and White Hill where there is massive land slippage,” the release stated.
