Residents and businesses located along the Spanish Town Road, the industrial belt of Kingston, are to see improved water supply in the coming weeks.

This is a result of the National Water Commission’s (NWC) upgrading of the Spanish Town Road distribution line in Kingston. Twenty kilometres of pipes have been installed along one of the most heavily trafficked corridors, from Six Miles to Blake Road, near the intersection with South Camp Road.

The Spanish Town Road Potable Water Supply Transmission Main Project is the largest single pipeline replacement activity undertaken locally since the Rio Cobre transmission main was replaced 10 years ago.

Construction, which commenced in November 2020, was completed in July 2022.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness toured a section of the project area, in the vicinity of the Mother White Bridge on Spanish Town Road last Friday (September 30).

Work should last upwards of 50 years

Describing the project as a “nation-building investment,” Holness disclosed that the work undertaken should last upwards of 50 years.

According to him, “the Government decided to undertake a J$2.4 billion investment… and that included putting in new mains along the Mandela Highway and a new main running all the way along Spanish Town Road. That has the capability to bring in approximately 15 million gallons of water into Kingston and St Andrew. This is a massive project with significant impact for the [beneficiary] communities.”

The Spanish Town Road replacement main is expected to reduce service disruptions, eliminate non-revenue water, and improve network flexibility to mitigate the effects of drought conditions in sections of Kingston and St Andrew. Secondary distribution lines have been installed along both sides of Spanish Town Road to minimise the need for road excavations to provide future service connections.

Other work being undertaken

The project will be complemented by work being undertaken along Waltham Park Road, which will see the installation of distribution lines which are expected to provide improved service connections for 600 households in Whitfield Town.

The works, which commenced in August 2022, are expected to be completed within three months. The prime minister pointed out that the pipeline replacement project is consistent with the Government’s infrastructure development thrust adding that other improvement works will be undertaken along Spanish Town Road.

Meanwhile, Garth Jackson, vice-president for engineering and capital projects at the NWC, advised that the current intake of water through the Spanish Town Road system is about five million gallons.

“But once we get the Rio Cobre into it, it will have the capacity to take a further 15 million. The capacity of the pipeline is about 10-to-15 million gallons, so we have the capability to take more water there,” Jackson informed.

Work will shortly begin on the Port Royal transmission main, which will ensure that the development plans for Port Royal are taken into consideration.