NWA accelerates major road and drainage upgrades in St Catherine as hurricane season looms
/ Our Today
administrator
With the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season beginning on June 1, the Government of Jamaica is pushing to make the parish of St. Catherine more prepared.
Some J$1.45 billion is being spent to rehabilitate twenty-eight roadways across the parish, 12 of which are currently receiving attention.
Being done through the government’s multi-billion-dollar Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Project, significant drainage works are being complemented by improved driving surfaces. St Catherine is a parish with a history of flood-prone areas. Some of these areas, in the past, were left isolated due to raging floodwaters.
Among the areas being targeted are Jones Avenue (Spanish Town), Cumberland Road (Portmore), and Nugent Street (Buck Town). These locations have well-documented issues of clogged drains, often leading to flooded streets or scoured road surfaces during rainy months.
The National Works Agency (NWA) is managing the J$45 billion SPARK project. The works are being rolled out in tranches. Four tranches have already been approved for works across Jamaica.
In St Catherine, 13 roads in Spanish Town are being targeted, eight in Portmore, four in Old Harbour, two in Ewarton and one corridor in the community of Troja. These areas were prioritised based on road condition assessments, flood risk, traffic density, and community vulnerability.
De facto Works Minister Robert Morgan said the SPARK project is designed to meet the demands of a changing climate.
“We are not just laying asphalt. We are designing infrastructure that can stand up to Jamaica’s climate. SPARK is about building systems that protect lives, improve access, and support national development. Improved road conditions reduce travel time, support local commerce, and improve emergency response — especially during storm season.”
The government aims to shift from reactive emergency spending to long-term mitigation and resilience planning by integrating new drainage infrastructure into roadworks.
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