SOME $676 million has been spent to upgrade roads in five parishes under the National Road Services Improvement Programme (NARSIP).
The sum represents 67 per cent of the contracted amount to be spent in the parishes of Manchester, Portland, St Catherine, St Thomas and Westmoreland.
The programme is being funded by the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB, and is aimed at providing a safe and reliable national road network.
Director of communication and customer service at the National Works Agency (NWA), Stephen Shaw, said that the work being done on the different roads in the communities is making a meaningful difference in the lives of the residents.
"The residents welcome the work being done on the roads and we have a good relationship with them. We all want to see our roads improved," Shaw said.
Community relations officer for the north eastern region of the NWA, Natalee Bloomfield-Rowe, said the roads being improved include Spur Tree to Gutters in Manchester, Buff Bay to Balcarres in Portland, Bog Walk to Ewarton in St Catherine, Morant Bay to Port Morant in St Thomas and Border to Negril in Westmoreland.
"Under the National Road Services Improvement Programme, the road corridors will be constantly maintained, so although quite a number have already been improved, constant maintenance of these corridors will continue," Bloomfield-Rowe said.
The programme is scheduled to be completed by November 2009.
