Ground Broken for Port Royal Pipeline Replacement Project
By: , July 31, 2023
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (third left), breaks ground for phase three of the Port Royal pipeline replacement project on Friday (July 28). He is joined by (from left) National Water Commission President, Mark Barnett; Chairman of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Donovan Samuels; Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda; Councillor for the Springfield Division, Lorraine A. Dobson; and General Manager of Wastewater Operation and Management Company Limited, Avraham Rubinchik.
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (seated), operates a backhoe at the groundbreaking ceremony for phase three of the Port Royal pipeline replacement project on Friday (July 28). Guiding him are Backhoe Operator, Shaniel Clayton (left), and Ashtrom Building Systems Project Manager, Donald Whittle (right).
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda (left), and National Water Commission President (NWC), Mark Barnett (right), hydrate themselves with NWC tap water at the groundbreaking ceremony for phase three of the Port Royal pipeline replacement project on Friday (July 28).
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (second left), observes as Thermafusion Operators Edison Castro Rosas (second right) and Antonio Castro Rosas (right), weld 12-inch High Density Polyethylene pipes on Friday (July 28), at the groundbreaking ceremony for phase three of the Port Royal pipeline replacement project. Others (from left) are National Water Commission President, Mark Barnett, and Ashtrom Building Systems Project Manager, Donald Whittle.The Full Story
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, on Friday (July 28), broke ground for phase three of the Port Royal pipeline replacement project.
The Government, through the National Water Commission (NWC), will be undertaking the replacement of the aged cast iron transmission main located between the Norman Manley International Airport roundabout and the NWC pumping station at the eastern entrance of Port Royal.
The project will be completed within the next six months at a cost of $433 million.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Holness said investing heavily in infrastructure is a priority of the government.
He noted that for the last 40 years, the government has borrowed to finance development, but things are changing.
“We are able today to finance infrastructure development not from borrowing, not from deferred expenditure but from our budget,” Prime Minister Holness said.
He informed that the new water main, will improve the quality of life of Port Royal residents through improved service reliability, and pave the way for further developments.
“In the next budget year, we will now be able to focus on doing some revetment works along the coastline here, to protect the land from a catastrophic weather event should one occur and then we will be able to build more social housing, the other complaint of the people of Port Royal about the condition of their housing,” the Prime Minister said.
In his remarks, NWC Chairman, Michael Shaw, said the project is part of NWC’s abiding and strategic commitment to improving the lives of its valued customers.
Some sections of the existing main have become sunken in sand and/or submerged in the coastal waters, making it susceptible to breaks that are difficult to locate and inevitably, delayed repairs.
He shared that the Commission is delivering on its core value of innovation by using the latest technology in the pipeline project.
The NWC will replace the existing water main with approximately 8.6 km of 12-inch High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipeline.
The HDPE pipes are made of a polymer-based composite that is more resilient to the high saltwater levels common to the area and the pipeline is expected to last for four to five decades.
“This groundbreaking and laying of pipes is covering two critical things. We are resolving the NRW [non-revenue water] issues where there is so much leakage and putting in pipes that will be long lasting for the communities,” Mr. Shaw explained.
Initial upgrade works commenced in 2012 from Harbour View to the roundabout at the Norman Manley International Airport and the second phase is now underway at the facility situated near the Port Royal Town Centre.