Sophia residents protest incomplete access road: Ministry sets July 27 deadline

Some residents of Sophia on Tuesday blocked a section of the main access road in protest of the discomfort caused by the incomplete road.

Old drums, chairs and pieces of wood were some of the debris used by residents of “C” field Sophia to block part of Dennis Street which is the main access road into that community.

According to the irritated residents, the dust which emerges from vehicles traversing on the crusher run currently in place, severely affects them.

The residents said the road has been incomplete for some time now; however, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure visited the area at the weekend and told them that the road would be soaked at least three times per day.

Word of the protest got to the Minister within the Ministry, Annette Ferguson who visited the residents and once again committed to having the road soaked every day until the completion of the road’s construction.

Following a meeting today with the residents of Sophia, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure has decided to accelerate its completion of the Dennis Street Project, with a deadline set for July 27, 2016.

Additionally, a statement from the Ministry said, the residents, who included councillors from the Sophia representative group, also indicated their willingness to have the road closed, from ‘C’ Field to ‘D’ Field, to facilitate its construction. It was agreed that the closure of this stretch would minimise interruption to works to facilitate the accelerated road works.

The project was initially scheduled to be completed in mid-May, following the completion of approximately 300 metres of timber revetment. However, during the deep patching and scarifying phase, it was discovered that there were extensive foundation issues, the Ministry said.