$163.5-Million Contract Signed for Rehabilitation of Friendship to Hurlock Road

A $163.5-million contract has been signed for the rehabilitation of the 1.8-kilometre stretch of roadway from Friendship to Hurlock in St. James, under phase three of the Fairfield to Point road improvement project.

The contract stems from a partnership between the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, through the Maintenance of Secondary Roads programme.

At the signing ceremony held on Monday (October 24) at Jamaica House, Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, pointed out that the road will be built to withstand use by heavy-duty trucks.

“We have to build the road according to its use. We know that along that corridor, there are several quarrying activities that take place and several heavy trucks that use the area,” he said.

As such, he said that the depth of asphalt used will be twice the standard amount “because of the heavy axle weight that this section of the road will use in taking trucks and heavy equipment that will traverse from the various quarrying activities”.

In addition, he noted that “we [will be] using high-density polyethylene (HDPE ) pipes and culverts to build proper drainage”.

The Fairfield to Point project, which comprises 19.66 kilometres of roadway, was divided into three parts, with the first two segments already completed.

Phase one saw the rehabilitation of 1.6 kilometres of roadway between Fairfield and Retirement, from the Fairfield Bridge to Taylor Avenue, at a cost of $74,112,000, while Phase two involved 2.3 kilometres between Taylor Avenue and Friendship at a cost of $114,416.750.

Minister of Tourism and Member of Parliament for St. James East Central, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, pointed out that the road leads to some of the country’s finest attractions.

“These gateways are important, and we will cooperate and collaborate to ensure that they are done and in good time,” he said.

Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, noted that the road is also a link to upper St. James and to the parish of St. Elizabeth.

“This corridor experiences a high volume of traffic, as it connects the rural section of Southern St. James such as Maroon Town and Garland, Maggoty and Balaclava in St. Elizabeth, with the city of Montego Bay,” Mr. Warmington said.

He noted that the thoroughfare also features several residential communities, commercial and tourism entities, such as the Estuary Housing Scheme, John’s Hall Aggregates, Crichton Quarry, the Retirement landfill, and John’s Hall Adventure Tours.

The Minister pointed out that the road project is among several being undertaken, noting that the Economic Growth and Job Creation Ministry and the National Works Agency (NWA) have completed billions of dollars in infrastructure projects “quietly”.

He said that a change is now being made, so that “Jamaica can know what is being done by the Government and what is spent”.