THE promised website to allow the public to track the progress of the Government’s multi-billion-dollar Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme was launched on Thursday by minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan.

“The website [sparkjamaica.gov.jm] has various components. It will give you all the information about the SPARK programme. It will give you also historical information, and so on,” Morgan told a media briefing at the Office of Prime Thursday morning.

“One of the important aspects of the website is a document centre where it will give the public access to all publicly available documents related to the SPARK programme. For example, the contract that we are signing today [for the programme] is a public document so you can go on the website [for information].

”The roads that we do will be on the website [and] eventually… all the roads that we have assessed under SPARK will also go [on the website] as well as the roads in the parishes and several other documents so that the public will have a very easy access to the information,” added Morgan.

He told the media briefing that one of the most important documents on the website is the governance framework for the project.

“The National Works Agency has come up with a governance framework. It was approved by Cabinet and will govern how the SPARK programme is executed and how the accountability in the programme will be manifested,” said Morgan.

The governance framework will outline the responsibility of the contractor, China Harbour Engineering, the responsibility of the Government, the responsibility of the selected consultants, and the responsibility of the NWA.

“Additionally, we will be publishing an e-mail address where members of the public will have the ability to write to us with all the questions that they may have, all the concerns they may have as it relates to the SPARK programme,” said Morgan.

He told the media briefing that Prime Minister Andrew Holness has instructed that the $45-billion programme should be done in a transparent manner with every Jamaica been given a chance to feel that they have ownership of it.

SPARK represents one of the largest investments in Jamaica’s road and water infrastructure in recent history. It has been designed to significantly enhance the country’s road infrastructure, driving growth, development, and prosperity in communities across Jamaica.

With an allocation of $45 billion over a two-year period, the programme aims to establish a comprehensive and real-time database of Jamaica’s roads using advanced Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Each of the island’s 63 constituencies will receive an initial allocation of approximately $150 million, with further allocations based on verified roadway lengths, to ensure equitable distribution.

The programme will cater to various improvements such as pavement resurfacing, sidewalk rehabilitation, drainage improvements, waterline enhancements, retaining wall construction, and intersection upgrades.

For main roads under the NWA additional improvements will include the installation of fibre-optic ducts and bus stop enhancements.