PORT ANTONIO, Portland — The National Works Agency (NWA) says there is ongoing consultation with residents of Port Antonio even as it moves ahead with working on a bypass for the north-eastern sea coast town.

The response came after concerns were raised, during the most recent monthly meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation, that residents, whose lives will be impacted by the project, are being kept out of the loop.

“The work has started roughly in the middle of the project; we are working. The contractor is really focusing on the section now on the lands that are owned by Government. We are going through the different iterations in relation to the privately-owned lands. The notice, the meetings, the offers, all of those things are being done as we try to push through with the project,” NWA Manager, Communication and Customer Services Stephen Shaw told the Jamaica Observer.

Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony on June 26, 2025, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Arlene Williams had indicated that work would begin with the seven kilometres from Norwich to Turtle Harbour. The second phase, she said, would be the 11 kilometres from Turtle Harbour to Boston Bay. But work has started at Turtle Harbour and Waterworks. The apparent change in plans appears to have added to the confusion and fuelled concerns.

During last Thursday’s municipal corporation meeting, Councillor Dexter Rowland (People’s National Party, Port Antonio Division) insisted that promises of consultation between residents and the developers have not been kept.

“Some years ago, a highway was done in Portland and the contractors came to the fore and met with the people. Now they are doing a bypass, they have started and people are worried what’s going to happen to their homes and everything,” he said.

“There are two persons that I know who are worried because they are in danger and notices have been placed at their property. They have young kids and they feel that they are in debt. I think that the contractors have to come here and consult with them. We have no discussion at all. We cannot allow something like this to happen to us and I think that we need to make it known,” he added.

However, the NWA’s Shaw later told the Observer consultations are ongoing and will continue for the duration of the project. He also provided an update on the work being done.

He said the contractors “are moving and we have some structures that will have to be put in. Soon they are going to be moving in the area where the structures are to be built”.

He also noted that the NWA has obtained the necessary environmental approvals from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) for construction to proceed.

There has been concern that the work being done may impact the naturally occurring water courses and result in flooding in some areas of the town. From the outset, the Government has stressed the project’s benefits, a message reiterated by Williams during last year’s ground-breaking ceremony.

“The project will provide an alternative route around Port Antonio, easing traffic congestion making it easier for residents and foreigners to navigate the area. This aims to reduce accidents and pedestrian safety in the town centre. It will enhance the economic development of Port Antonio. The corridor will have a subterranean corridor which will carry water pipeline, fibre-optic cables and upgraded electricity servings,” the permanent secretary said then.

A Natural Resources Conservation Authority permit is mounted at the work site for the Port Antonio bypass road.

Heavy equipment at Turtle Harbour, part of ongoing work on the Port Antonio bypass.

Ongoing work on the Port Antonio bypass near Bayview Hotel at Turtle Harbour, also called Turtle Crawl, Clear Spring.