GOVERNMENT has acquired US$65.4 million (J$5.7 billion) in financing from the Chinese government to raise the Palisadoes Road in Kingston — the only access to the Norman Manley International Airport.

The National Works Agency (NWA) will oversee the project with Asian-based China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) as contractor. A government team is currently overseas to determine deliverables including a timeline for the project, the NWA told the Observer in a written response.

“The NWA’s CEO (Patrick Wong) is part of the Jamaican delegation on a visit to China. We will have a fair idea when he returns in a week,” stated Stephen Shaw, NWA communication’s manager.

The contract still awaits Parliamentary approval but was recently endorsed by the National Contracts Committee (NCC) according to the Office Of Contractor General’s listing released last week. The NCC noted that the proposed contract was a bilateral agreement between the Governments of China and Jamaica.

“The intention is to raise the road by approximately two metres above the current level. Rock revetment work, started in 2006, will also be continued,” Shaw stated about the general scope of work.

CHEC added on its website that it would construct a “1.4-kilometre long highway” with four lanes, increase shoreline protection, drainage and earthwork. The project is expected to last 18 months, according to the contractor’s website.

The road has been inundated due to rising tides during heavy floods. The flood-prone road, took a battering during the passage of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, during Hurricane Dean in August 2007 and again in 2008. At the time, Government had given the assurance that work being done on the Palisadoes main road, should prevent any further flooding. Previously a study done by the Cubans and Canadians addressed the situation of flooding which involved rock revetment. Financing was approved by the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) at some US$25 million.

CHEC employs over 6,000 domestic and international staff with a project portfolio worth US$8 billion in over 70 countries. CHEC is a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) which is ranked 18 out of 225 Top International Contractors and number 341 among the Global 500 Companies in 2008, the company stated. Founded in 1980, China Harbour operated as a group company before its merger with China Road and Bridge to create CCCC in 2005. CHEC said it “is focused on basic infrastructure construction, such as marine engineering, dredging and reclamation, road and bridge, railways, airports, complete plant, and other works”.