Over 600 Roads Identified For Rehabilitation Under Spark Programme

Sixty main roads and approximately 600 priority roadways across 63 constituencies have been identified for rehabilitation under the Government’s $45-billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme.

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, made the disclosure during a Statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (November 12).

“This $45 billion is the largest investment in our roads and water infrastructure ever by the Government of Jamaica. This is not about the highways or building our new bridges; this is about investing in our local and community roads. In other words, this is the investment that will impact the lives of the ordinary Jamaicans, the road that passes your gate,” he said.

“Partnering with the Ministry of Finance [and the Public Service], National Works Agency (NWA) and other entities has ensured that this project will begin implementation this year. The project will last over three years, and it will begin in this [2024/25] financial year.,” Dr. Holness added.

The Prime Minister advised that Cabinet approval has been given for the project, which is expected to start during the first half of December.

“When we say start, we mean actually the mobilisation of works in constituencies. There are many steps that have to be taken for such a programme to be effective. There are many agencies that have to be coordinated, we have to follow all the regulations. We haven’t skipped any… we have tied to follow all the rules because, to be clear, the SPARK Programme is not a patching programme,” he stated.

“All the Jamaicans who are very frustrated about their roads, who are protesting, who are demonstrating, we hear you, we understand. We drive on these roads too [and] we are not pretending as if there are no bad roads,” he added.

SPARK was first introduced in fiscal year 2023/24 as a $40 billion road improvement initiative.

Since then, it has grown to include an additional $5 billion for waterline improvements.

The project will also entail the installation of fibre optic ducts to support future broadband connectivity, which aligns with the Government’s digital transformation strategy.

This infrastructure will connect public institutions, improve the delivery of shared services and eventually enable e-government services for the Jamaican people.