Mandela Highway expansion on track — NWA
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Work on the expansion of Mandela Highway is on track to be completed by August 2018, the National Works Agency (NWA) has reported.
The two-year project, which got underway at the end of August 2016, includes increasing the number of lanes from four to six between Six Miles and the ‘On and Off’ ramps of Highway 2000. The eastbound ramp leading to Washington Boulevard will accommodate two lanes of traffic.
In addition, sections of the roadway will be raised to reduce the risk of flooding.
The Duhaney River box culvert will be upgraded and a new bridge will be constructed over the Fresh River.
NWA Manager of Communications and Customer Service, Stephen Shaw, said the project is about 40 per cent to 45 per cent completed.
This includes work on the overhead bridge at Fresh River. Next to be undertaken is work on the southern abutment near the overhead bridge and the bridge over the Duhaney River near Six Miles.
“We are pushing to get this overhead bridge completed and then we’ll progress towards Six Miles having done the sub-grade work between the Fresh River and the off ramp, to the east-west toll road,” Shaw said.
He added that improving drainage works is a critical part of the project.
“We actually put in a particular feature because of the hurricane season now being in full effect and based on what happened with the heavy rainfall a few weeks ago, we wanted to ensure that flooding or the occurrence of flooding is significantly mitigated,” he said.
Shaw said the NWA will also be working closely with the National Water Commission (NWC) to address flooding of the roadway due to damaged pipelines.
In the past, the disruption of NWC mains have resulted in large volumes of water flowing on to the highway, leading to a pile up of traffic, and loss of potable water for nearby communities.
Construction is being carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) under a US$64-million contract.
The project is part of the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP), which is being financed through a concessionary loan from the Government of China.