Durrant Pate/ Contributor

The Government of Jamaica is giving priority attention to the US$81-million Port Antonio bypass project aimed at improving travel efficiency, reducing congestion, and supporting economic activity in inland areas.

That’s the word from Works Minister, Robert Morgan, who explained that his ministry is now working with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service to secure the necessary funding. Making his contribution to the 2025/2026 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, 

Morgan announced a 2025/2026 fiscal year second-quarter start date. 

The project is expected to relieve traffic congestion and encourage economic activity in inland areas, It will be executed in two phases. Phase one, which spans approximately seven kilometres from Norwich to Turtle Harbour, is targeted for construction in the near term, supported by the completion of a feasibility study. 

Two-phase project

Phase two, extending another 11 kilometres from Turtle Harbour to Boston Bay, will be rolled out once appropriate financing is secured. The Bypass, which will be a four-lane design, will provide an alternative route to ease congestion in Port Antonio’s town centre. 

Each lane will be 3.5 metres wide with 1.2-metre shoulders and a 1.8-metre-wide median Jersey barrier. Additionally, the project includes two-lane link roads to improve access between central and western Port Antonio.

In acknowledging that Port Antonio is a critical hub for tourism and agriculture and suffers from chronic traffic congestion, unsafe pedestrian conditions, and limited connectivity, Morgan said, “By unlocking economic potential and enhancing mobility, this project will play a key role in regional development.” He admitted that it not just Portland that the administration is seeking to undertake this kind of game-changing road development but the wider island.

Update on SPARK and REACH

In providing an update on the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road  Network (SPARK) Programme, Minister Morgan reported that four work orders have been issued to date, spanning 168 roads across all 63 constituencies. As of today, work has commenced on 78 of those roads. 

With a $45 billion commitment, SPARK covers main roads, community roads, retaining walls, sidewalks, drains, and water lines. Over $5 billion is being spent on water pipeline upgrades alone, ensuring coordination while minimising disruption.

The Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) Programme, in which the government is spending some $4.7 billion on emergency island-wide road patching. The emergency patching programme is 80% complete, while the broader $3-billion repair initiative is progressing steadily.

Already, Phase 1, which is constituency-based work, is 72% completed, with both phases one and two on track to be completed by this month-end.