Final leg of North Coast Highway begins next year
PORT MARIA, St Mary — The Ocho Rios to Fair Prospect segment of the North Coast Highway Improvement Project is expected to get underway during the first half of 2004, according to the managing engineer, Varden Downer.
He said the contract was expected to go to tender by next February and work would begin within five months after the signing.
The contract is expected to run for 30 months, with the work slated to be completed by January 2007.
Downer, who was speaking at a recent community meeting at the Port Maria Civic Centre in St Mary, told residents that the roadway from Ocho Rios to Buff Bay is expected to have a design life of 14 years. The section from Buff Bay to Fair Prospect is expected to last for 20 years.
Giving further details on the project, Downer said the scope of work would include:
*the construction of paved carriage-ways in some areas,
*base improvement to approximately 45 kilometres of existing roadways,
*reconstruction of either existing alignment or new alignment to approximately 76 kilometres,
*and the effecting of curve widening, lay-bys and right-turn lanes to alleviate traffic congestion.
In addition, he said nine new bridges would be constructed and 22 existing ones rehabilitated.
Turning to the matter of land acquisition for the purpose of facilitating road construction, Downer said that only small strips of land were being taken in most cases, and that any fencing removed during the process would be replaced by the contractor.
He said work would also involve the relocation of approximately 450 Jamaica Public Service Company and Cable and Wireless utility poles.
According to the managing engineer, the special characteristics of the road would include a number of safety features, including bus shelters and road user-friendly devices. He said it would also be subjected to a 12-month period of routine maintenance by the contractor after its completion.
Work on the Ocho Rios to Fair Prospect road represents the third and final segment of the road development project. The project started with the Negril to Montego Bay leg while the second leg involved the Montego Bay to Ocho Rios roads.
Construction of the highway commenced in 1994 with the stated intent of fostering “economic diversification and growth,” while enhancing investment in and “consolidation of the tourist industry and to improve employment and social development opportunities in the communities affected”.
The first leg was three years late and the price tag almost doubled, coming in at a final cost of about $71 million.
The project is being funded jointly by the European Union and the Government of Jamaica, with the former providing a grant of £80 million and the latter contributing $328 million.