The Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP) phase three is close to completion. Over $600 million has been spent to implement projects in community’s islandwide. Phase three commenced in March 2014 and the majority of these projects are over 96 percent complete.
Over 200 projects were implemented during this phase of the Programme. The projects include routine maintenance activities such as patching, de-bushing of road banks, drain cleaning and sidewalk construction.
Each constituency was allocated $10 million to be used mainly for road infrastructure improvement works proposed by the community and endorsed by the Member of Parliament. Seventy contracts were awarded in the sixty-three constituencies to implement the projects.
Projects in the parishes of St. Andrew, St. Catherine, St. Thomas, St. Mary and St. Ann are over 90% complete while projects undertaken in Clarendon, Hanover, Portland, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Manchester, Kingston and St. James have been completed. Projects underway in Trelawny are progressing steadily.
Just over 3, 230 persons gained employment acquiring skills in the areas of drainage construction, spray patching, road repairs and building construction.
In the meantime Phase Four of the Programme is now underway. This phase commenced in October 2014. Sixty four contracts have been awarded and one hundred and seventy five projects are being implemented.
Projects have begun in most constituencies and are overall, 45 percent complete. The expenditure on these projects to date is $280 million.
