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JAM | Jan 28, 2023

Prime Minister Andrew Holness urges patience as work on the Southern Coastal Highway continues

/ Our Today

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St. Thomas leg of Southern Coastal Highway (Photo: JIS)

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is urging patience from residents of the parish of St. Thomas as work continues on the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP). The project, which began in January 2017, is being executed in three parts, with the St. Thomas leg forming two of the three parts.

Recent updates from the National Works Agency (NWA) indicate that the first tranche, which includes Morant Bay, Long Road, and two roads from Cedar Valley to Portland, will be completed by the summer of this year (2023). The Harbour View to Yallahs road, which falls under the second part of the project, is also projected to be completed this summer.

I understand the complaints and the dislocation, but we have to start thinking long-term and appreciate that now is a different time. So, we have to build our infrastructure for it to be resilient against the impact of climate change.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness

Holness acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the roadwork but emphasized the need for long-term thinking.

“I understand the complaints and the dislocation, but we have to start thinking long-term and appreciate that now is a different time. So, we have to build our infrastructure for it to be resilient against the impact of climate change,” said Holness

Prime Minister Andrew Holness. (Photo: Tamoy Ashman/ Our Today)

The Prime Minister highlighted resilience as a leading factor behind the extension of the roadworks. He added that the government is making extra investments to ensure critical nation-building infrastructure like the SCHIP can withstand disasters and last for generations to come. “It has to take a little bit longer so that the next shower of rain doesn’t wash away those roads. We have to put in larger drains, more retaining walls, and a thicker layer of asphalt”, he said.

The SCHIP is being carried out by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job creation and is now slated to end in March 2025, with funding from the Government of Jamaica and the China Exim Bank. The Prime Minister is asking for residents to bear with the government as it works to bring this leg of the project to completion and deliver the best roads for residents.

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