2000 Community Roads to be Improved Under $40 Billion Spark Programme

Some 2000 community roads will be rehabilitated over the next three years, through a $40 billion allocation under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

“We have made excellent progress in dealing with our highways and main thoroughfares and it is now time to address our secondary roads and our local roads,” said Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness.

He was making his Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Thursday (March 16).

Mr. Holness told the House that the National Works Agency (NWA) has started scoping the project and setting criteria for priority and selection of the roads, and the National Water Commission (NWC) will collaborate to determine where water mains would not pose an issue for the overlay of the roads.

“Where water mains are old or in need of upgrade, then those roads would still be treated under this programme, however they would be placed in a different implementation stream, since they would require more complex engineering and materials,” he explained.

Roads where no additional works are required, other than sidewalks and small retaining structures, will be the first to be selected for milling and overlay.

SPARK will immediately address many community, parochial and secondary roads where the road surface has been scoured or filled with potholes, but the subsurface and drainage is generally intact.

Prime Minister Holness said that the programme will also focus on resurfacing some “white roads” where the asphalt has lost friction due to the type of aggregate used and the polishing effect of traffic over time.

Improvement of intersections to include widening, installation of jersey barriers, signage and signaling will be done where the NWA deems necessary.

The Prime Minister told the House that only public thoroughfares that are on the registers of the NWA and the municipal authorities will be repaired under the programme, with housing scheme roads to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

“We intend to finalise the policy framework and start the process of selection by June of this year. Roads that are assessed, which only need overlay and other minor works, will be prepared for immediate procurement,” he said.

Mr. Holness said that Members of Parliament will play a key role in engaging and consulting their constituents in making recommendations on the roads to be repaired and the order of priority in which they are done.

The recommended roads must justify the expenditure and order of priority based on the volume of traffic they carry, the interconnectivity they facilitate, and the number of residences, businesses, and public facilities along the road, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, road and bridge repair and maintenance will be addressed through a $6.9 billion allocation.