$31.1-Billion Infrastructure Programme To Drive Jobs, Economic Activity

The Government has allocated $31.1 billion towards an infrastructure programme, which will drive jobs and economic activity, improve productivity and strengthen resilience.

Details of the programme were provided by Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, as he opened the 2021/22 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 9.

The initiative is being provided for under the $60-billion Social and Economic Recovery and Vaccine (SERVE) Programme for Jamaica, which is being facilitated through a one-off Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) dividend of $33 billion.

Speaking about the infrastructure projects, Dr. Clarke said $17.7 billion has been allocated to the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation.

“This allocation will allow infrastructural improvements on roadways between Harbour View and Yallahs and for construction of the new Toll Road between May Pen in Clarendon and Williamsfield in Manchester to continue,” he said.

“All economic activity requires transportation. By making transportation of people and goods more efficient, we improve the productivity of our economy. The improved access provided by the project will also open up eastern Jamaica for new housing, commercial and industrial development,” he added.

Dr. Clarke further noted that the alignment in Manchester will open up mineral-rich land to the possibility of mining.

He said that all of the aggregate required will be locally supplied and will require transportation providing trucking opportunities.

In addition, some $8 billion has been allocated to a special public investment infrastructure programme to improve productivity and increase resilience, through the installation of drains, water, waste water and sewerage infrastructure, as well as the widening and dualisation of major thoroughfares.

The money will also be used for the construction of sidewalks and other related road upgrading.

“This is captured in the Contingency Provision for the Public Investment Management System,” Dr. Clarke told the House.

Also under the programme, $3.7 billion has been allocated to secondary roads, repairing roads across Jamaica, $1.2 billion for the Montego Bay Bypass, and $0.5 billion for construction of new police divisional headquarters in Westmoreland and new forensic pathology suite.

“I am pleased to inform this that this will be the largest programme allocation to physical infrastructure tabled by any Government of Jamaica in budget history. We expect the infrastructure component of the SERVE Jamaica Programme to generate thousands of construction jobs to help us recover stronger,” Dr. Clarke said.