A man manoeuvres his donkey cart along Content Drive in Greendale, St. Catherine. Gravel-filled craters dominate most of this thoroughfare.

What's not working?

Roads in the Greendale community of Spanish Town, St Catherine, are atrocious! The travel travails on Content Drive are comparable only to the other torture of driving on Gosford, Selbourne and Watford roads, also in the community.

At almost every turn, intersection and corner, water-filled potholes plague the roadways that are already in need of repairs. Obviously fed up, Greendale residents are calling on the St. Catherine Parish Council to address the crisis.

Synopsis of situation:

Road repairs in Greendale have been long overdue, said disgruntled residents when the news team visited last week.

At first look, Content Drive seems a tolerable strip, until one plunges into potholes and craters. And it's the same story for most of the other roads in the community.

Wolton Rose, Content Drive resident, said his road was last repaired in 2003 after the shooting death of a policeman. According to Rose, the mediocre repairs were just a temporary fix by the parish council to save face as they wanted the roads to look good for the public officials who had to visit the slain officer's house on Content Drive. Since then, he says, the road has regressed to its previous rugged state.

This claim was also corroborated by Clement Scott, another Greendale resident. He also talked about what he termed the "never-dry" nature of roads in the community.

"If you think the roads are bad now, you should visit during rainfall; you could probably sail a boat down Content Drive," he said. "There are roads that are almost never dry. The water stays in the pothole long after the shower ends. Right now, if you go on Selbourne Road, you'll see what I mean. Water settles on these roads constantly."

Andre Watson, resident of Gosford Road, made similar points. "Gosford, Selbourne and Watford roads will more likely than not be waterlogged, even in the dry season. This only adds more torment to contending with the big potholes that are already damaging the roads," he bemoaned. "I clearly remember rainwater taking over a week to evaporate off Gosford. If you have to travel during rainfall, just ensure you have very big water boots."

Watson added that repairs on Gosford Road are mainly carried out by the residents themselves. Fragments of building blocks and cement poured in potholes along Gosford were testament to his statement.

Who's responsible:

The St. Catherine Parish Council

What's the status?

Winston Kelly, road and works superintendent at the parish council, said they were aware of the situation in Greendale. He added that the council has made representation to the Ministry of Works and was currently awaiting funds in order to address the problem.

Conclusion

It appears there may still be some hope for Greendale. The council said it has made representation and is waiting on funding. This seems to be good news, even though it is some four years late.

The fact is that roads in Greendale desperately need repairs and tomorrow won't be soon enough for the residents.

- Marlon Vickerman

Residents of Gosford Road oftentimes fill potholes with rocks to ease the bumpy ride. - Contributed Photos

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Tell us about problems in your community. We will visit and help to lobby for action. Write to: Tyrone Reid, the Gleaner Company Ltd., P.O. Box 40, Kingston; Fax: 922-6223, Telephone: 922-3400 Ext. 6364 or Email: tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com.