DID ST ANN MUNICIPAL CORPORATION APPROVE A DRAIN-ALTERING PROJECT?
RUNAWAY BAY, St Ann; May 23, 2026
Questions are being asked about how construction, seen as likely to cause flooding along a public thoroughfare, is being allowed in plain sight near the Runway Bay intersection (crossroads), in St Ann
At least two Councillors of the St Ann Municipal Corporation (SAMC) are among those asking how permission was granted for what is believed to be the base for a digital advertising platform being constructed in a drain that runs parallel to the main road (North Coast Highway) at Cardiff Hall.
“I’ve been asking questions, but nobody can give me answers about who authorized this,” a resident of Cardiff Hall speaking on condition of anonymity told the North Coast Times.
The entire stretch of roadway from the Cardiff exit west through to the Rubis station across from the Flavours Beach was built with a wide open drain, parallel to a secondary access road and between that access and the North Coast Highway or Runaway Main Road.
But over the last several weeks, a structure has been going up and has now reached over eight-block heights off the foundation, put squarely in the drain. It’s about 150 yards northwest of the Holiday Haven Hotel, close to residential premises and across the road from the FDR hotel.
(This image locates the construction believed to be for a digital advertising sign. The blue drum in the foreground gives a sense of the height. The car, centre is travelling on the main road, and the access/secondary road is at right)
A resident at Cardiff Hall told the North Coast Times that the drain has flooded several times, including during serious weather events, hurricanes Beryl and Melissa. However, it took the water off the roadway, making the road passable.
Culverts have been placed in the base of the structure, but they are not considered large enough to move water through during heavy rain.
Several questions being asked include:
- Does the Municipal Corporation have the authority to allow a private construction project in the drain along a main road?
- Did the Engineering Department of the SAMC sanction the project?
- Has the Infrastructure Committee of the SAMC approved
- And, what is the status of the land on which it has been built? Leased? At what rate?
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