Some J$350 million has been earmarked in the 2025/26 Estimates of Expenditure for the completion of the Montego Bay Waterfront Protection project, which is being implemented by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

The project’s main objective is rehabilitation of the Montego Bay groynes to reduce the loss of beachfront acreage to coastal erosion and protect valuable coastal resources along the city’s waterfront.

The protection of the marine ecosystem in the area is also a key priority.

An assessment conducted in December 2024 indicated that the northern groynes had been completed, while the southern groynes were 29 per cent complete.

Programmed targets for fiscal year 2025/26 include the completion of the waterfront protection structure at the southern groynes and a wall revetment at the North Gully.

Work will also be undertaken to repair damage to the northern groynes resulting from weather events in February 2024.

The project, which got under way in 2019, is scheduled to be completed by March 2026. The total estimated project cost is $816 million.

The 2025/26 Estimates of Expenditure was tabled in the House of Representatives by Finance Minister Fayval Williams on February 13.