Works are set to start this month on another five contract packages under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP). As such some roadways in sections of East Rural St. Andrew and Western St. Thomas have been repaired ahead of the start of major rehabilitation work in those areas.
These include the roadway from Yallahs to Louden Hill or Salt Pond, Salt Pond to Pomfret, and Pomfret to Morant River Bridge in St. Thomas as well as Boston to Drapers and Drapers to Port Antonio in Portland. The maintenance of the roadways under contract forms part of the agreement between the National Works Agency (NWA) and main project contractors China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
Some 5,500 square meters of the worse-affected sections of the roadway between Harbour View and Yallahs have been targeted for pothole patch and repair and sheet patching activities. The programme, which commenced in December last year, is currently 95% complete and is expected to be wrapped up sometime this month.
A total of 38 kilometers of roadway is slated for significant upgrade under the upcoming phase or tranche 2 of the SCHIP. These works are valued at a combined 6.5 billion Jamaican dollars and will make it eleven of sixteen packages being put to contract, so far, under the 110-kilometer long project.
