NWA Repairing Breakaways

KINGSTON — The National Works Agency (NWA) is conducting work to repair breakaways along roadways across the country.

Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Transport and Work's Maxfield Avenue offices yesterday, the agency's Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Wong, informed that there are some 650 breakaways along the island-wide road network with some in need of major retaining structures.

He said that the NWA is working on about 160 of these through various programmes such as the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP) and the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) 2026 programme.  

“The breakaway at Roach Gully (St. Thomas) will be attended to under the IDB programme and we are hoping to send a letter of award to the Permanent Secretary (in the Transport Ministry) shortly and we anticipate work should be able to commence within the next two to three weeks for that breakaway,” Mr. Wong said.

The NWA has also started work on the Port Henderson breakaway in St. Catherine, while the Goulbourne road in St. Andrew has been repaired.

Meanwhile, Mr. Wong stated that it will cost the NWA US$2 billion to conduct repairs on the main road network, while US$4 billion is needed to fix parochial/ community roads.

"Jamaica has the second largest density in terms of road network in the world, only following behind Japan, and as such, we have a terrain that is very hilly and what it does is put our infrastructure under serious threat every time there is significant rainfall," he noted.

He said that the agency is looking to put measures in place, which will ensure that the country’s road infrastructure is properly maintained over the long-term.

"We are looking at a design/build performance contract that would include, at least, a five-year maintenance period as part of the project,” he stated.

"When we build or complete the rehabilitation of a major corridor, that corridor will be on a significant maintenance programme for at least five years and then, hopefully, we will have the funding to continue the maintenance on a performance basis," he explained further.

He argued that if implemented, such a strategy will help to resolve the problems that the country faces whenever it rains.

By Latonya Linton, JIS Reporter