PNP Councillors Want Action to Fix Parochial Roads; Morgan says Funds Already Allocated

The National Councillor Caucus of the Opposition People’s National Party, PNP, is calling on the Holness administration to take urgent action to address the deplorable state of parochial roads.

The caucus, in a statement on Thursday, said while it welcomes the $2 billion increase for the Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help, REACH, programme, this falls short in addressing the critical needs of community roads.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, on Thursday, said the REACH programme will be increased to a total of $5 billion to address the state of the roads, that he declared a national emergency.

But according to the PNP councillor caucus, the REACH programme appears to prioritise major thoroughfares, neglecting community roads. 

It says the much-touted SPARK programme, which was promoted as a transformative solution to our road infrastructure challenges, remains shrouded in uncertainty. 

The caucus claims there’s been no clear communication about which roads are earmarked for repairs or when the project will commence.

It’s calling on the prime minister to provide immediate clarity regarding the implementation of the SPARK programme, including a detailed timeline and a transparent plan for the repairs. 

Meanwhile, minister with responsibility for works, Robert Morgan, says funds have already been allocated to constituencies for the rehabilitation of parochial roads.

Additionally, Minister Morgan is refuting the claim by the national caucus of PNP councillors that the government’s SPARK project is shrouded in uncertainty. 

Robert Morgan, minister with responsibility for works. He was speaking during Nationwide at Five on Thursday.