THE Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement Branch (PSTEB) and the National Works Agency (NWA) were, up to press time last evening, working to clear the waterlogged Mandela Highway in St Andrew.

Head of PSTEB, Senior Superintendent Calvin Allen told the Jamaica Observer by telephone that water had settled on both the westbound and eastbound carriages of the busy thoroughfare, which links the western end of the island to the capital city.

The highway is being upgraded at a cost of $8 billion under the islandwide road reconstruction project, which includes the raising and widening of the road to a six-lane dual carriageway, bridge construction, as well as drain improvement works. The project is expected to be completed next month.

In a news release yesterday, the NWA alerted motorists to the possibility of traffic snarls and lengthy delays due to flooding.

NWA’s Communication and Customer Services Manager Stephen Shaw explained that there was flooding at Tom Cringle Drive, near the Nestle building, and said that this had caused the traffic pile-up.

Shaw urged motorists to use alternative routes, such as the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 or Sligoville.

He said that the team was working to clear a blocked drain and create new channels in the vicinity of the intersection, to facilitate a freer flow of water from the road.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/traffic-pile-up-on-mandela-highway-due-to-flooding_149515