The rural communities of Marchmont and Retrieve in Eastern Westmorland have received a J$17 million infrastructure upgrade through the rehabilitation of the corridor that links the two districts.

Janel Ricketts, community relations officer for the National Works Agency’s (NWA’s) western region, explained that the project which was completed in late April 2023, involved local rehabilitation and asphalt concrete overlay.

The project targeted the section of roadway between Marchmont Square and the Retrieve All Age School.

This project forms part of a targeted approach by the NWA to upgrade roadways across the island and augments earlier efforts to repair other sections of the corridor.

In August 2022, the NWA completed the repair of four kilometres of the Marchmont to Retrieve roadway. At that time, approximately J$75 million was devoted to this effort, which involved significant drainage improvement, construction of retaining walls, base strengthening and resurfacing of the roadway, using asphaltic concrete.

The project was completed under the qagency’s Maintenance of Secondary Roads Programme.