Motorists urged to be cautious amid oil spill along North Coast highway

By Clinton McGregor    

 

The Jamaica Fire Brigade says it is still working to clean up the oil spill along the North Coast highway from Cooper's Pen to Bengal on the Trelawny/St. Ann border.

 

The oil spill was discovered about 5:00 a.m. Monday along the heavily used highway.

 

Commissioner Stewart Beckford, head of the Fire Brigade, is urging motorists to proceed with extreme caution on the roadway.

 

He told Radio Jamaica News that fire crews supported by personnel from the National Works Agency and a private contractor are working to clean up the spill which started in Trelawny and extends to Discovery Bauxite Partners (formerly Noranda) in Discovery Bay, St. Ann.

 

"We have two crews, one working from the St. Ann end and then another working from the Trelawny end in terms of providing support in relation to making the road be safe again. It's going to take us some time to do that because what we have been doing is trucking aggregate, sand, soil to the area and using that as absorbent material cover the road. It's very labour intensive and time consuming. And so we are not sure exactly when this operation will be completed. But we have, as I said, two crews there and they are being supported by the NWA," he reiterated.  

 

He said there were two motor vehicle crashes as a result of the slippery surface.

 

"Police are on scene directing the traffic as per usual. And I want to use the opportunity to encourage motorists travelling along that stretch of road

way to do so with extreme caution. Please obey the signals of the police and the emergency workers who you may come upon on that location," he urged. 

 

Commissioner Beckford said the fire department is also investigating the source of the oil spill.