Significant work was undertaken to buildout Jamaica’s road network:
• The four-lane highway from Harbour View in St. Andrew to the Yallahs Bridge in St. Thomas, was officially opened. The 17-kilometre (km) roadway represents Part B (ii) of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP).
• The National Works Agency (NWA) completed rehabilitation of the 12-kilometre Whithorn to Darliston road in Westmoreland at a cost of $294 million.
• Additionally, the NWA commenced work to rehabilitate sections of the Burnt Ground to Ramble, and Mackfield to Ramble roads in Hanover Eastern at a cost of $36.5 million.
• The rehabilitated Gravel Lane in Montego Bay, St. James, which has been described as the first brick road in the Second City, was opened. The roadway was repaired under the St. James Municipal Corporation’s signature project, at a cost of $2 million.
• Ground was broken for the Boundbrook Urban Centre in Port Antonio, Portland, which will be developed on 6.68 acres of land at a cost of $4.2 billion.
• Ground was also broken for the Spicy Grove Infrastructure Works Project in Oracabessa, St. Mary, which will entail the development and installation of roadways, water facilities and electricity in the community, as well as the formalisation of land tenure.
• Work commenced under the Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) Programme, which was initiated to repair widespread road damage caused during the passage of Hurricane Beryl, just south of Jamaica, on July 3.
• The Government allocated an initial $3 billion under the programme, which was focused on community roads. This allowed Members of Parliament to select the roads that were of major concern to their constituents.
• Another $2 billion was earmarked and approved to execute emergency road repairs.
• Work commenced on the $45 billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme.
The Government signed four contracts, valued $36.04 billion, with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), to undertake works under the project.
• The Morant Bay Urban Centre project in St. Thomas achieved more than 70 per cent completion.