KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Tuesday opened the four-lane highway from Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge in St Thomas, which he has dubbed “a corridor of development”.

The 17-kilometre (km) roadway represents Part B (ii) of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP), a flagship programme of the Government.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony in Bull Bay, Holness pointed out that this is the largest investment in St Thomas since the Morant Bay Rebellion and serves as a testament that the parish is at the forefront of the Government’s agenda.

“St Thomas is witnessing a remarkable change in its infrastructure, particularly its roadways and public facilities. The SCHIP is a key catalyst for this transformation. The highway is set to enhance the economic foundations of St Thomas, offering numerous opportunities for its residents,” he noted.

The Prime Minister outlined that this leg of the SCHIP is “much more than a new road”, as it will significantly enhance critical infrastructure such as the widening and realigning of the existing road to make it safer and more efficient, and the upgrading of drains.

The Prime Minister urged residents to report any challenges they may encounter in their use of the highway.

“The road will be watched and studied carefully over its lifetime but intensely in the first two years of its operation because that is when you begin to understand water flows. That is when you begin to develop models of patterns so you can know where to put in a drain, which drain needs to be expanded if an embankment needs to be built,” he pointed out.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Everald Warmington, in his remarks, said the road project is a “big deal”, noting that “no longer will people leaving from Yallahs to Harbour View have to sit behind trucks laden with aggregates for an hour to reach Kingston.

“It is a big deal because you can plan your affairs, have them done in Kingston or St Thomas and be at home in a good time,” he added.

Minister Warmington said that the project, which provides infrastructure for water and telecommunications, has the distinction of erecting the first traffic lights in St Thomas.

He told the residents that, as they beam with pride at today’s opening of the roadway, so too will they feel when other projects that are already underway, are delivered by the Government in the historic parish.

Member of Parliament for St Thomas Western, James Robertson, expressed gratitude on behalf of the people of the parish.

“This is our project; our project that is making the east a place of the future, a place with the best road in Jamaica, pound for pound, with no toll,” he said.

Implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the SCHIP involves co-funding from the Government of Jamaica and China EX-IM Bank.

It includes three parts: Part A – May Pen to Williamsfield – 28 km; Part B (ii) – Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge – 17.4km; and Part B (iii and iv) – Yallahs Bridge to Port Antonio and Morant Bay to Cedar Valley – 123.65km.

-JIS