KINGSTON, Jamaica – Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island’s road situation a national emergency and has allocated J$2 billion to effect repairs to the main road network to get them up to what he said is a “drivable condition”.
He made the disclosure at a press conference on Thursday morning, where China Harbour Engineering Company was also announced as the contractor for the Government’s $45 billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) project, set to begin this month.
The prime minister said the $2 billion is in addition to the $3 billion that was allocated under the REACH programme with significant sums already spent on road repairs since Hurricane Beryl impacted the island on July 3.
“This will be done, following the law as well, using emergency procurement rules. We expect that the work will begin immediately,” he said of the additional $2 billion expenditure.
Holness said the National Works Agency (NWA) which has access to 21 Grade One contractors will manage the works.
He said the NWA will “engage them right across Jamaica to get the patching and reinstatement of roads to drivable conditions done”.
The Prime Minister’s announcement was made in the aftermath of an incident on the weekend in which an elderly woman was killed on Saturday after the driver of the car in which she was travelling swerved to “avoid potholes” and collided head-on with another vehicle.
The crash occurred along the Walkerswood main road in the northern parish of St Ann.
This is the third death resulting from pothole-related collisions in almost two months.
