As part of the PPP/C administration’s manifesto commitment to improve the quality of community roads across the region, residents of Rockstone, Linden, Region Ten, are now benefitting from the ongoing upgrade to the road.
The contract to the tune of $14.8 million was inked in December 2021 to rehabilitate the road from Wisroc to Rockstone.
The Department of Public Information (DPI) spoke to residents, at the Rockstone fish festival on Sunday, who praised the government’s commitment to infrastructural development within the region.
Resident, Elvis Allen welcomed the ongoing upgrade.
“I leave here [at] six o’clock and by six-thirty, I’m already at work…As a resident, I am enjoying it,” he said.
He added that the large turnout at the fish festival was due to the upgraded roadworks.
“The road is very good for the past couple [years] since we get the new government. Very good. I enjoy it. I have a vehicle that runs the road, and the maintenance ended up dropping. And I think concerning the community, it will do well because we start getting a lot of people coming in due to the road,” Allen said.
Another resident, Pelham Dorris said that the maintenance of the road is integral to development within the region.
“Coming in here, I took about 15 minutes and that was so surprising. I see that as great progress. Because all of the annual events that go on here from the fish festival to Easter that go on this area,” he expressed.
Resident, Cynthia James was also pleased with the upgrade of the road.
“The road is very good from when I know it before. It was very bad. And right now, we are thankful for what the government is doing for us,” she said.
Resident Joy Peters expressed, “the road development has been a very good thing for our community because we are having a short time to go out. And then, the school children could come in and have easy access to go in and out of the Rockstone… We’re thankful for everything that the government is doing for us in Rockstone,” she said.
Patron, Desmond Bascom said that the upgrade to the road will benefit residents in Rockstone and other areas.
“I am very pleased at this point with the work that is being done to the road. At first, I thought the road would have been in a very bad state due to this weather… but the road is not in a bad state,” he stated.
Resident, Candacie Jilks highlighted that the persons will have no fear to travel to Rockstone as a result of the road development.
“The road will be safe for them to traverse anytime they need. It shortens their timespan to get to Rockstone,” she stated.
She added that it will also advance the community economically.
“We are grateful, eternally grateful because if it wasn’t for the road, persons would not have been here, for their support, the event would not have been possible.”
Meanwhile, Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edghill visited the Rockstone Fish Festival where he engaged residents and presented some of the prizes to the winners of the competition.
The government has established several important plans for the region, and the upgrade to the road is one of them.