$265m road rehab coming for three W’land housing schemes
Published:Tuesday | May 13, 2025 | 12:08 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
After years of lobbying, residents in three housing schemes in Westmoreland are poised to benefit from a major $265-million infrastructure overhaul courtesy of the National Housing Trust (NHT), this fiscal year.
Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Danree Delancy told last Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC) that 96,049.05 square metres of roadway will be upgraded.
The Shrewsbury Housing Scheme in the Petersfield Division, Llandilo Phase 1 in the Savanna-la-Mar North Division, and the Cedars Valley Housing Scheme in the Leamington Division are three of the housing schemes that will benefit from the development, which Delancy has described as the result of “protracted but productive” engagement between the corporation and the NHT.
“From the NHT’s approved sum of $70,875,139.00, a contract has been awarded to CJ’s Asphalt and Paving for $59,479,131.80 for phase two of the Shrewsbury Housing Scheme, covering 70,950.40 square metres of roadway,” said Delancy, who noted that work is scheduled to commence on May 22.
Delancy also noted that the NHT has also approved $73,858,828.00 for phase one of the Shrewsbury Housing Scheme rehabilitation, which is expected to cover 7,350.40 square metres. However, that phase has not yet reached the contract stage, as the corporation awaits further Cabinet approval.
“The work is already under way in phase one of the Llandilo Housing Scheme, where Odel Allen Construction has been contracted to rehabilitate 12,689.65 square meters of roadways. The contract is valued at $107,344,120.10 from an approved allocation of $126,307,248.50,” said Delancy.
In the Cedars Valley Housing Scheme, Jambel Limited has been awarded a contract valued at $36,823,381.60 to rehabilitate 5,058.60 square metres of roadway from an estimated cost of $45,840,282.00. Work is also scheduled to begin on May 22.
“These are the efforts of the WMC in collaboration with the NHT. This is a total of $265,595,946.00, and I can’t tell the last time our parish of Westmoreland had projects amounting to this amount, so I want to say to the government and NHT, well done,” Delancy said.
The mayor has welcomed the NHT’s response and described it as a win for the people of Westmoreland.
“This is a significant victory for the people of Westmoreland,” Delancy said. “For far too long, our residents have endured deplorable road conditions in these housing schemes, and after extensive dialogue and advocacy, the NHT has finally agreed to take action.”
“Residents in Shrewsbury have been very vocal about the condition of their roads. I can now confidently say help is on the way. The NHT will be undertaking comprehensive rehabilitation works in that area,” added Delancy.
According to Delancy, the NHT’s latest move signals a renewed commitment to its mandate of supporting sustainable infrastructure in the communities it serves.
“We are seeing a shift, more communication, more collaboration. This partnership between the local government and the NHT must continue if we are to improve the quality of life for our citizens,” he further noted.
The announcement has been met with cautious optimism by residents, many of whom say they have been lobbying for road repairs for more than a decade.
“It’s about time,” said Pauline Clarke, a long-time resident of Llandilo Phase 1. “We’ve been patching potholes ourselves for years. I just hope the work will be thorough and not just a temporary fix.”
Marvin Henry, a community advocate in Petersfield, shared similar sentiments; however, he wants to see quality work done on this project.
“We appreciate the investment, but we want transparency and quality,” said Henry. “We don’t want a situation where roads are paved today and crumbling again next year.”