MONTEGO BAY, St James — The Government is urging motorists and residents to brace for traffic snarls as work begins on the US$176-million first phase of the US$450-million Western Water Resilience Improvement Project (WWRIP), a landmark investment officials say will modernise Jamaica’s ageing infrastructure and significantly improve supply to more than 200,000 people across four western parishes.

The appeal came from permanent secretary in the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change Wayne Robertson during Monday’s tour of construction works along Montego Bay’s elegant corridor. Joining him were officials of the National Water Commission (NWC) and representatives of VINCI Construction Grands Projets, which is implementing the multimillion, US-dollar project. While acknowledging that the construction will inconvenience road users, Robertson said the long-term gains far outweigh the temporary setbacks.

“Jamaicans, just be patient with this project. There will be some disruptions. We will ensure that we communicate consistently. We will provide the necessary information in terms of the areas that will be affected in terms of traffic flows, so that you can make the necessary adjustments. But please bear with us as we seek to make lives better for all of you,” he said.