The government through the Ministry of Transport and Works and the National Works Agency will be embarking on a major programme of infrastructural work island-wide. The programme of works for the parishes of St. Elizabeth, St. Thomas and Portland were recently shared with stakeholders in those parishes.
Prime Minister Bruce Golding who spoke at the St. Elizabeth launch of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) at the Lewisville High School said this new initiative by the government is being made possible through the collection of the fuel cess. "The normal kind of funding could not facilitate this, we had to seek a different kind of funding…Instead of doing a couple hundred million dollars worth of roads we could come here today to launch a programme in which we are talking about $35 or $36 billion dollars worth of road improvement… This is one of the most creative means of expanding our capacity to address the road problems in Jamaica," he said.
Speaking specifically to St. Elizabeth, Prime Minister Golding said roadways such as Mocho to Springfield, Craigie and Newell to Bethany would be rehabilitated.
In the meantime, Minister of Transport and Works, Mike Henry said US$60 - million will be spent on the projects that will be embarked on during this financial year, which ends in March 2011. Projects that will be undertaken through the JDIP include road rehabilitation, construction of retaining walls, periodic maintenance, river training works and traffic management.
In St. Thomas, the following will be undertaken:
Roads (Rehabilitation)
Arcadia Avenue, Middleton, Stewart Mountain, Lloyds, Springfield, Bath to Barrett's Gap
River Training
Johnson River, Morant River, Plaintain Garden/Island River, Stony Gut, Monticott River
Retaining Wall
Llandewey
Bridges
Johnson River, Eleven Miles
Roads (Periodic Maintenance)
Morant Bay to Wilmington (Queen Street), Morant Bay to Lyssons (Lyssons Road), Morant Bay to Port Morant (Port Morant Main Road), Pleasant Hill to Hectors River, Port Morant to Pleasant Hill, Port Morant to Pleasantville (Market Road), Grants Pen to Pamphret, Pamphret to Morant Bay, Bull Bay to Grants Pen, Yallahs to Petersfield, Morant River Ridge to Trinityville, Church Corner to Morant Crossing, Georgia to Trinityville, Stanmore Land, Albion Housing Scheme.
In St. Elizabeth, the following projects will be embarked on during this financial year:
Roads (Rehabilitation)
Punches/Font Hill, Mocho to Springfield to Brighton, Newell to Bethany, Crane Road to Parottee, Carish Brook to Dry Harbour, Smoothland to Mount Plymouth, Belvedere/Queensbury, Seaview to Queensbury, Craigie, Clinic Road (Santa Cruz)
Retaining Wall
Black River Sea wall
Roads (Periodic Maintenance)
Chocolate Hole, Pedro Cross to Lititz, Delightful, Institution Drive, Market Street, Santa Cruz to Malvern, Tombstone to Gutters, Scotts Cove to Luana, Black River to Pedro Cross, School Street, Cheltingham to Springfield, Clifton to White Hall
Several projects are also to be undertaken in the parish of Portland this year. These are:
Roads (Rehabilitation)
Mount Pleasant, Hope Bay to Coopers Hill, Friendship Road, Silver Hill Road, Norman Lane (Port Antonio), Durham to Coopers Hill
Retaining Walls
Buff Bay Valley, Comfort Castle
River Training
Windsor Castle/Bacanal, Swift River (Canewood), Caneside River
Bridge
Rio Grande
Roads (Periodic Maintenance)
Allan Avenue (Port Antonio), Harbour Street (Port Antonio), West Street (Port Antonio), Boundbrook Crescent (Port Antonio), Folly - Boundbrook (Court House road), Fair Prospect to Folly, Swift River, Hope Bay to School House corner, Buff Bay Valley, St George Street (Buff Bay), Norman Lane (Buff Bay), Second Street (Buff Bay), Baker Street (Buff Bay), Compound Road, Mount Oakley, Birnamwood
