Holness showing off gov’t projects

As the next general election draws near, Prime Minister Andrew Holness has been opening facilities that were built by his administration.

Last Thursday, Holness commissioned into service a rehabilitated bridge along Liguanea Avenue in St Andrew, which will benefit thousands of citizens who use the thoroughfare daily. The structure, which was renovated at a cost of $26.5 million, replaces an outdated bridge that had narrow lanes for drivers and was not safe for pedestrians to cross.

"The Government of Jamaica is committed to building a new Jamaica, and a part of that is building the bridge to the future," Holness said.

A date for the next general election, due by next February, has not been announced, and neither has Holness given any hint about when it would be called. However, has has been unveiling projects to point to his Government's achievements thus far.

"This bridge represents the future. When I used to live in this area, this bridge was a hazard. That's how I would describe it. It was very narrow and particularly precipitous if you're coming down [the road] and all of a sudden, you're faced with this very narrow pathway, and you have to be a skilled driver to negotiate it. It didn't make much provision for pedestrian traffic, and if you had a very heavy shower of rain, there was a possibility of flooding," he said of Liguanea Avenue.

A day later, Friday, Holness was in St Mary, opening the Gayle Police Station and multipurpose centre. The rehabilitation and expansion of the Gayle multipurpose centre, which was undertaken at a cost of $85 million, is a project under the Citizen Security and Justice Programme (CSJP).

Also on Friday, Balcombe Drive Primary School, in Holness' West Central St Andrew constituency, formally received computers under the Government's 'Tablets for Teachers Programme'. "The temporary closure of schools, as a result of the [coronavirus] COVID-19 pandemic, has reinforced the need for us to accelerate progress in achieving this objective," Holness said.

Holness said that under the Tablets for Teachers Programme, the Government has procured 65,000 tablets for distribution.

Community park

In the meantime, residents of Roehampton and its surrounding communities in St Andrew benefited from improvements to the community park. The project, which came at a cost of $4 million, was implemented by the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation, and funded by the Tourism Product Development Company Limited, as part of its Spruce Up Programme. It involved the creation a jogging/walking trail, installation of park benches, repairing of the perimeter fencing, general beautification and landscaping.

Roehampton is part of North West St Andrew that is represented in Parliament by Dr Nigel Clarke."We are grateful for this partnership and our intention is to maintain these spaces and include all members of the communities to make use of these public spaces. This is the Jamaica we want to build, encourage and nourish. We also want to set the precedent for the next generation to come, as we strive to maintain an organised society that cares about its country," Clarke said at last week's opening of the facility.