Gov’t Allocates Millions for Critical Road Repairs & Special Drain Cleaning

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development will be rolling out a Priority Parochial Road Programme, valued at $350 million, targeting for repair badly damaged roads that connect communities and lead to critical places like hospitals and schools.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, made the announcement during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on Wednesday (June 3).

The Minister pointed out that following the passage of Hurricane Melissa in October last year, many roads suffered extensive damage.

He said the $350 million, which is in addition to the monthly allocation received by Corporations, will assist with road patching and maintenance across the country.

Mr. McKenzie indicated that the Ministry will also be implementing a special drain-cleaning programme across the island at a cost of $70 million in efforts to bolster the island’s preparedness this hurricane season.

“$70 million will be provided to the Municipal Corporations, $300,000 to each division for drain-cleaning,” he stated.

The Minister emphasised that this allocation is in addition to the drain-cleaning allocations given to the corporations for the months of May and June through the Parochial Revenue Fund (PRF).

As he outlined mitigation efforts for the hurricane season, Mr. McKenzie highlighted the recently launched Operation CALM, which is aimed at making traditional flood-prone areas more resilient.

“C means clearing flood-prone areas of bulky waste. A is for advising the residents in these areas about their roles and responsibilities in managing waste during the hurricane season. L – leveraging the network of community leaders in flood-prone communities… and M – maintaining a presence in these communities during the hurricane season,” he noted while explaining the goals of the initiative.

Operation CALM, which will impact 94 traditionally flood-prone communities, was launched by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), in Rocky Point, Clarendon, on Tuesday (June 2).

“The people in Rocky Point supported this programme tremendously, and we’re moving to the parishes of Clarendon, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. James, and St. Elizabeth for the next phase of this programme,” Mr. McKenzie informed.

He emphasised that the Ministry is combining government action to promote civic responsibility and community goodwill, to ensure that residents can face the hurricane season with a level of confidence instead of fear and uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the Minister indicated that the issue of access to water is also being addressed during the hurricane preparations.

He informed that his Ministry had a meeting last week with the Ministry of Water to discuss the matter.

“Shortly, we will be announcing a comprehensive water programme involving the Ministry of Water and local government… but in the meantime, the drought is upon us, and we are going to be providing $65 million to assist St. Elizabeth, Manchester and Portland to purchase three brand new water-trucks to take us through this critical period,” Mr. McKenzie informed.