Hundreds to be Employed on New Toll Road Project

The Government has allocated $4.6 billion towards the construction of the new toll road from May Pen in Clarendon to Williamsfield in Manchester, which is expected to create jobs for hundreds of Jamaicans.

Finance and the Public Service Minister, Dr. the Hon. Nigel Clarke, made the announcement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 14), during the debate on the Second Supplementary Estimates of Expenditure for 2020/21, which was approved.

He said that the project will involve the construction of bridges, box culverts and drainage structures.

Dr. Clarke noted that work started in July, and with the allocation from the Government, “major construction activities are slated to be accelerated, which will see hundreds of persons employed as a direct result”.

“Local aggregate suppliers are expected to provide all the [materials] for the project and we will see more than a hundred truckers being employed in transporting material through the construction phase of this project,” he told the House.

The Minister, while tabling the Second Supplementary Estimates on October 6, had indicated that the Government would be scaling up public investment in order to help revive economic activity and maintain jobs.

He said that the move sends an important signal to the private sector about the Government’s confidence about the future.