$400 Million Jackson Town to Ulster Spring Road Rehabilitation Project Underway

Ground was officially broken on Thursday (June 8) for rehabilitation of the Jackson Town to Ulster Spring main road in southern Trelawny at a cost of over $400 million.

The restoration work will be done in two parts, with phase one, which is already underway, costing around $205 million and phase two, which will begin shortly, costing approximately $224 million.

Phase one will target 5.3 kilometres of roadway from the Jackson Town Tax Office to the Sawyers Primary School and will include significant drainage improvement, reshaping and asphalting of sections of the roadway, construction of retaining and parapet walls and the installation of guard rails.

The contract for the project was awarded to Morris Hill Limited.

Minister without portfolio with responsibility for Works in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Everald Warmington, who addressed the groundbreaking ceremony, said the decision to undertake the project followed a tour of the area with a technical team from the National Works Agency (NWA) in 2022.

He noted that the project underlines Government’s focus on upgrading crucial transportation networks to support economic growth, foster connectivity, and enhance the quality of life for Jamaicans.

“The Jackson Town to Ulster Spring stretch of road…is vital to socio-economic activities,” he pointed out.

“This roadway is a main thoroughfare from the western end of the country into Manchester from Montego Bay via Trelawny, and one of the main economic activities of the area is farming,” he added.

“At the beginning of this road is the Jackson Town Tax Office, which serves the districts of Clarks Town and Ulster Spring among others. Further along is the police station, health centre, primary school and several other essential amenities, which are utilised daily, making this road a heavily trafficked one,” he noted further.

Additionally, the roadway is the main thoroughfare utilised by emergency vehicles transporting patients from Ulster Spring and surrounding communities to the Falmouth Hospital.

Minister Warmington also announced that several additional roadways in Trelawny are to be upgraded during the 2023/2024 financial year.

These, he said, include Stewart Town to Rock at a cost of $27 million; Stettin to Highgate, $53.7 million; Clarks Town to Jackson Town, $37.2 million; Albert Town to Troy, $14.5 million; and Dixon Street, $126.6 million.

“I want to assure you …that all the projects that I have announced today will commence and be completed in the next financial year,” Minister Warmington said.