Lessons Learned Informing Highway Construction

Lessons learned from the experiences of motorists on Jamaica’s tolled roads are being used to improve the user experience along sections of Highway 2000 that are currently under construction. Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on March 18, Environmental Manager at the National Road Operating and Construction Company (NROCC), Mr. Errol Mortley said these lessons have informed elements of the highway construction to minimize danger to motorists.

He explained that segments of the highway, which are currently under construction as a part of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP), will incorporate mostly overpasses where the highway crosses existing roadways. Mr. Mortley said this was being done to minimize the danger of stone-throwing incidents involving motor vehicles at overpasses, which has been a challenge at the grade-separated interchanges (where the highway goes over or under the existing road), particularly on the East West leg of Highway 2000. The Environmental Manager said that there are currently three bridges on the East West Highway (March Pen, Bernard Lodge and Sharper Lane) to which rails have had to be affixed, as motorists in the past have suffered from persons throwing stones, while adding that one such incident had resulted in the death of a motorist some years ago.

“Our thinking now is that we will take the highway over the local roads where we can, except where it is impossible to avoid that activity, so we are building a safer highway for the public,” Mr. Mortley noted. Another important lesson learned, the Environmental Manager said is the improvement of the drainage features to minimize backwater flooding.

“In the flat sections, we might experience flooding upstream because the highway now provides a barrier between the natural drainage path, so what we now do is create a drain all the way along the alignment, that runs parallel to the highway. It will pick up the water coming from upstream and carry it to the drain under the highway,” he explained. Mr. Mortley added that for Phase 1C of SCHIP, which is the May Pen to Williamsfield leg, two additional box culverts have been added to minimize flooding in the Duke Street area of Four Paths, which he explained has always been affected by the Flemmings Gully. The NROCC team has also used the new information to improve user experience on the existing highways.

“One of the issues we are now looking at is the reduction of hydroplaning, where vehicles are affected by water on the surface of the road. What we have now done is improve the drains along the median barrier to collect most of the water that is generated on the road surface so that there are no gaps,” the Environmental Manager stated. Mr. Mortley further explained that most of the water collected along the barrier will go into a super-elevation median drain, that will collect the water and take it off to the side of the roadway.