$6.2 Billion Allocated to Continue Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project
By: , February 28, 2024
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Motorists in St. Thomas are now enjoying a new alignment that replaces the hills of Grants Pen in the parish under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project SCHIP).The Full Story
A sum of $6.2 billion has been allocated to continue works on the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) in the upcoming fiscal year.
Details of the undertaking are contained in the 2024/25 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives.
The funds will be used to conclude land acquisition, Jamaica Public Service (JS) pole relocation and pipeline replacement.
The objective of the project is to improve the alignment and capacity of the existing southern coastal main arterial road to improve safety and efficiency and also provide for future development.
It is being implemented by the National Works Agency (NWA) with co-funding from the Government of Jamaica and China Exim Bank.
Up to December 2023, the project has achieved 99 per cent completion of construction under Part A, which is the May Pen to Williamsfield segment.
In addition, land acquisition has been completed, while utilities relocation was 95 per cent concluded.
Under Part B, the segments from Harbour View to Albion to Yallahs Bridge, Yallahs Bridge to Port Antonio, and Morant Bay to Cedar Valley, were all 80 per cent completed up to December.
The project began in 2017 and is slated to end in March 2025.
A sum of $3 billion has been estimated for fiscal year 2025/26, if necessary.