JAMAICA is expected to see a significant increase in road work activity over the next six months.

That’s according to minister with responsibility for works Robert Morgan who last Thursday told the
Jamaica Observer that in addition to activity under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme other road works are planned.

“For those in the Corporate Area who are complaining about potholes, within the next two weeks we are going to have a road rehabilitation programme across the island focused on the main roads,” said Morgan.

He added that rehabilitation work is slated to begin this year on the major road that links Harbour View in east Kingston to Old Hope Road in the capital, under the main road component of the SPARK programme.

According to Morgan, that work was signed off on last week by Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness who heads the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development.

He pointed out that the work will start near the traffic light in the vicinity of Jamaica Flour Mills, and, “You turn from there [on to Windward Road], then you turn [right] at Mountain View Avenue all the way to the gas station on Old Hope Road. That’s going to be a corridor under the SPARK main roads programme”.

While admitting that he did not have the actual cost of the work, Morgan said, “It is going to be a couple billion dollars”.

He said the Government will shortly begin the long-promised works along Arthur Wint Drive under the capital expenditure (CAPEX) programme.

That work also will include Tom Redcam Drive and Morgan said it will extend to South Camp Road

“We’re massively developing the city; we are also going to be doing East King’s House Road and Lady Musgrave [Road]. So you can see the connection taking place. We are also going to be doing Half-Way-Tree to Liguanea (Hope Road), plus we’re going to be doing more than 40 main roads across the island under the main road programme,” said Morgan.

He told the Sunday Observer that Molynes Road — one of the busiest arterial corridors in the Corporate Area — will also be worked on.

“There are a lot of main roads in SPARK and a lot of community roads but the point I’m making is that we’re not just building roads under SPARK. We’re doing CAPEX, as you know we’re doing Braeton now, we have plans to do East King’s House as well as Lady Musgrave, Morgan emphasised.

Outside of the Corporate Area, the works minister said, “We will be doing the Troy Main Road in Trelawny under SPARK as well as a section of the road from Lacovia in St Elizabeth and sections of Manchester”.

SPARK is a $45-billion programme which has been described as the most ambitious roadwork plan ever embarked on in Jamaica.

Under the programme at least 630 roads, 10 in each constituency, were scheduled to be rehabilitated but news broke this week that the money allocated was not enough and more than 250 roads initially identified would not be touched.

But on Thursday Morgan clarified that not all the roads were expected to be done under this phase of the programme and a SPARK 2 will be launched as soon as the initial programme is done.

MORGAN… for those in the Corporate Area who are complaining about potholes, within the next two weeks we are going to have a road rehabilitation programme focused on the main roadsPhoto: Karl Mclarty