KINGSTON, Jamaica — The National Works Agency (NWA) is reporting that roadways and road infrastructure in several parishes have been impacted overnight by the passage of Laura, which this morning upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane as it heads towards the US Gulf Cosat.
NWA said that based on early assessments, the damage to roadways is mainly in the form of flooding, landslides, heavy siltation and fallen trees.
According to the agency’s communications manager, Stephen Shaw, so far there have been reports of such events in the parishes of Kingtson and St Andrew, Clarendon, St Thomas, St Catherine, Westmoreland, Trelawny and Hanover. He said landslides have been cleared along a number of roadways, allowing for single lane traffic.
However, the NWA said some critical roads remain impassable at this time including sections of the Guava Ridge to Cooperidge, Halls Delight and Papine to Bull Bay main roads in St Andrew. The Papine to Bull Bay main road is blocked by a massive landslide at Bito.
Motorists are once again able to use the detour road at Coley along the Morant Bay to Cedar Valley roadway in St Thomas following the completion of emergency repairs to the roadway which was washed out by flood waters while movement is restricted from Windsor Forest to Easington due to landslides, said NWA.
Other roadways that remain impassable at this time include the Redgate to Washfoot Gully roadway in St Elizabeth, which is impacted by several landslides and the roadway from Wait-A-Bit to Llorimers in Trelawny, which is blocked by a fallen light pole.
The agency said its teams are still in the field across all affected parishes conducting the necessary flood damage assessments and undertaking clearing and sweeping activities in a bid to safely re-open roadways.
