KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government will be fixing 47 bridges across the island under the Accelerated Bridge Programme.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Robert Morgan, in making the disclosure, said that several of these bridges are in parishes that were severely impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

He said that three of them were damaged during the storm and require urgent intervention.

Minister Morgan was addressing the recent meeting of the Standing Finance Committee at Gordon House, where he provided details on road infrastructure projects to be undertaken by the Government.

He informed that through funds allocated in the 2026/2027 budget, “We are going to be looking at some of the most damaged roads and the rehabilitation of them. We have 11 roads that need to be rebuilt.”

In addition, several roads will continue to be rehabilitated under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

Meanwhile, Minister Morgan reported that from an allocation of $1.3 billion, a plan is in place to do emergency and “massive works” on the Sandy Gully in St Andrew, including the Cassia Park area, and the North and South Gullies in St James.

“Confronted by urgent events, the Government has shown a propensity to make additional allocations to ensure the prevention of disaster in case we need to do additional works in our gullies. As it relates to breakaways, there are many of those, and we are trying to prioritise as much as possible based on budget,” he said.

The Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development is focused on driving sustainable development, focusing on land, housing, urban renewal, investment, and infrastructure. It oversees key policies to boost economic growth and improve national infrastructure.

— JIS