Green opens rehabilitated road to Whitehouse fishing beach
Published:Friday | February 23, 2024 | 5:14 PM
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, opened a road leading to the Whitehouse fishing beach in Westmoreland on Friday, signalling it's part of a new holistic approach to addressing roads linked to the sector.
Green said the Whitehouse fishing beach is a critical part of the fisheries sector, with more than 150 fisherfolk plying their trade their daily.
The road was rehabilitated at a cost of $11.4 million.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Green said the road leading to the fishing beach had been left in a deplorable condition for many years.
“For decades this road has been in a deplorable condition. In fact, people didn't want to come down to the fishing beach because of how bad the road was," Green said.
He shared that the Whitehouse fishing beach is the first of some five beaches that will be upgraded under a programme designed to enhance the quality of life for people who use these facilities.
According to Green, agriculture has to be approached holistically.
“When we have a farm road programme, it's also important for us to look at our fishing beaches, our fishing infrastructure and to help.
“Poor infrastructure sends up the cost of everything just to traverse the area and, as such, we have looked at our farm roads programme more holistically, and now we are identifying beaches that are in need of repair, especially the road network, " the minister said.
Daniel Lawrence, the member of parliament for Eastern Westmoreland, where Whitehouse is located, welcomed the completion of the road, sharing that it will open additional economic opportunities.
“This road opens up Whitehouse commercially, because there are a lot of lots along the way but because of the deplorable condition of the road people choose not to develop their property,” Lawrence said.
He said with those commercial developments, many other people will now have added opportunities outside of the fishing sector.
- Albert Ferguson
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