Upper St Andrew residents ready to protest

Residents of upper St. Andrew in Kingston, Jamaica, are on the verge of protest, citing persistent issues with road infrastructure and unchecked real estate developments. They argue that ongoing construction projects are severely damaging local roadways, which are often left in a substandard condition after being dug up for utility work.

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We are planning a protest, if nothing happens.

The community points to specific examples on Waterworks Road and surrounding streets, where recent repairs have already failed. Residents believe that the heavy-duty trucks used in large-scale developments are exacerbating the problem, and that the existing road network cannot support such intensive construction. One resident expressed frustration over a sinkhole that recently trapped a car, a direct consequence of what they describe as "dangerously substandard" repair work.

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They don’t use shingles or anything like that when they are fixing the roads, so the road is being eaten out from underneath.

Adding to their grievances is a perceived lack of transparency regarding new developments. Residents have attempted to obtain information about construction plans but face significant delays, being told it could take up to 60 days to get copies of relevant documents. This timeline is problematic, as they are aware of legal limits for filing objections to proposed projects. The community feels their concerns are being ignored, with one resident stating, “We are planning a protest, if nothing happens.”

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For nearly two years, residents of Broadway Close, Broadway Road, Sharrow Drive, and Waterworks Road in Kingston 8 have endured a slow-motion disaster. A developer dug up their roads to lay sewer pipes, left the reinstatement in a dangerously substandard condition, and vanished, while the authorities responsible for enforcing the law have failed to act.