PM says completion of Harbour View to Yallahs leg of southern coastal highway project marks milestone for parish left behind

Prime Minister Andrew Holness says the completion of the Harbour View to Yallahs leg of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) is a significant milestone that is in keeping with his administration’s promise to boost development in St Thomas, stripping the parish of its title ‘the forgotten parish’.

While addressing residents and attendees at the official opening ceremony today, Holness shared that St Thomas has had a long history of neglect that has deeply affected residents and the overall development of the parish.

He said that through his administration, the parish has been placed at the forefront of conversations about development, adding that residents can look forward to increased development through the highway construction.

“No more will St Thomas be the forgotten parish or treated as the long-lost cousin. The focus of my administration is correcting a fundamental wrong that was committed against the people of St Thomas for centuries…[they] faced a dark period of neglect during which many generations suffered. This government. Your government, has declared St Thomas and the whole eastern corridor of Jamaica as the new frontier of development,” said the Prime Minister.

“St Thomas is witnessing a remarkable change in its infrastructure, particularly its roadways and public facilities. The southern coastal highway improvement project is a key catalysis for this transformation, connecting Harbour View in St Andrew to Port Antonio in Portland,” said Holness.

He added that the highway will enhance the economic foundations of St Thomas, “offering numerous opportunities for its residents”.

According to the prime minister, his administration has emphasised the growth of the Jamaican economy. While boasting that Jamaica has seen 10 consecutive quarters of economic growth since the pandemic, he noted that it is only through developing the economy that citizens can reap benefits such as improved infrastructure.

“I think the intellectual class in Jamaica needs to step up to the conversation and bring all of Jamaica along to say that the problems that we have can only be solved if we get the economy in a right place so that we can create what is called more fiscal space and then we can fix the road,” Holness urged as he sought to justify his administration’s focus on growing the economy.

He stressed that the island has many problems that cannot be solved within a day, but his administration is working day-by-day to address these issues.

“In fixing the mistakes and neglect of the past that have robbed Jamaica of its true potential, my administration has created a strong economy that is delivering the results,” the prime minister asserted.

“There are some people in our country who do not like to hear success. There are some people in our country it hurts them deeply to see that this administration is delivering, fulfilling, realising, making good on the long-standing dreams and aspirations of the people. It hurts them,” he continued.

However, he said his administration is dedicated to the work and will ignore the negative voices in a bid to build prosperity in Jamaica.

“This road that we are building here is an important closing of the circle. This is not just building a road. This is about Jamaica achieving its economic and political independence. This is about liberating the people. This is about providing them with an opportunity, and as was said by some wise man somewhere, the road to development begins with a road,” he stressed.

The Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with co-funding from the Government of Jamaica and China EXIM Bank. It began in January 2017 and is slated to end in March 2025.

The objective of the project is to improve the alignment and capacity of the existing southern coastal main arterial road, to make it safe and efficient, free from flooding, and to provide for future development.