NWA Pushes for Completion of Road from Harbour View to Yallahs

The National Works Agency (NWA) is ramping up its effort to ensure that work on the road from Harbour View to Yallahs in St. Thomas is completed, to help reduce traffic congestion on the thoroughfare.

Communication and Customer Services Manager at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, said that as of July 11, motorists will be directed to use the new embankment along the route, as works continue to repair five old water lines along the current road.

Mr. Shaw said some 10 kilometres of new water lines will be laid.

He provided the update on the South Coast Highway Improvement Project during an interview on the Nationwide radio programme, Consumer Hour, today (July 11).

“We did repair works with the National Water Commission on those five leaks and they did work to smooth over the area as best as possible for traffic to move through …but we’re not satisfied with what we have and that is why we’re working to get them [motorists] on the new section of road while we work on the side where the old pipelines are going to be retired,” Mr. Shaw said.

He informed listeners that the road spans roughly 17 kilometres and will be a four-lane highway.

“We have already completed paving works, brought the road up to the paving level at about 14 kilometres, so we have about three kilometres outstanding, and the contractors are really pushing with the particular deadline in mind,” he disclosed.

The works are being carried out by China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC).

Meanwhile, Mr. Shaw noted that five roadways will be completed by October this year, under the project.

The five sections include tranche one at the border of Portland and St. Thomas; the route from Morant Bay to Serge Island, then to Cedar Valley; Morant Bay to White Horses and from Morant Bay to Prospect.

The entire project, which has been divided into 16 packages, is slated for completion in 2025.