A review of the functions of the National Works Agency (NWA) is being considered as the Government places greater focus on improving the national road network.

“We are going to have to review the role and functions of the NWA and possibly create either an additional unit or expand the NWA because the crisis that we face with roads now, the NWA is not sufficient to manage it,” said Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

He was speaking with journalists during a tour of the first project site under the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme at Everest Drive in Bayshore Park, Kingston Eastern and Port Royal, on Monday.

Holness said, by law, the NWA is gazetted with the responsibility for maintenance of the island’s main roads.

He noted, however, that the demand on the entity has increased beyond the agency’s original mandate, to that of management of the islandwide road network.

“The NWA, in its formation, was formed to take over the role of the old Public Works Department (PWD) structure and it was also meant to be the national engineers, advising government on engineering matters but overseeing the engineering of major construction projects.

“The NWA is now being asked to administer roads, even roads that are not under their jurisdiction, and clearly, there are other functions that have arisen under the management of roads which the NWA was not capacitated to do,” he pointed out.

The prime minister said that another element in reviewing the agency’s functions is for the swift mobilisation of resources for maintenance and repair projects.

“We need to be able to have rapid response to deteriorating road conditions. We may very well have to create an entity to facilitate this, or capacitate the NWA in that regard,” he contended.

“We are going to be looking at what capacity the Government needs to retain to be able to respond immediately to the small formation of a pothole before it becomes a large crater. That is something we are reviewing,” he added.

Jamaica’s roads are categorised into main roads, which are built and maintained by the NWA and are divided into three subcategories – arterial or Class A roads, Secondary or Class B roads, Tertiary or Class C roads; highways (toll roads), which are maintained by a road authority appointed by the minister responsible; parochial and unclassified roads, which are the responsibility of the local parishes; and farm roads, which are maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture.

— JIS