PM Hands Over $8M Concrete Pavement And Infrastructure Project In Bell Rock
By: , October 3, 2026
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, delivers the keynote address at the handover ceremony for the Concrete Pavement and Infrastructure Improvement Project in the Bell Rock community of Olympic Way in Kingston on Friday (October 2). The project, worth more than $8 million, was funded through CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme, in partnership with its local subsidiary, Caribbean Cement, and directly addressed long-standing drainage, safety and health hazards in the community.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Managing Director of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Jorge Martinez, delivers remarks at the handover ceremony for the Concrete Pavement and Infrastructure Improvement Project in the Bell Rock community of Olympic Way in Kingston on Friday (October 2). The project, worth more than $8 million, was funded through CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme,in partnership with its local subsidiary, Caribbean Cement ,and directly addressed long-standing drainage, safety and health hazards in the community.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (centre), walks along the cement-paved walkway in the Bell Rock community of Olympic Way in Kingston, which was officially handed over on Friday (October 2) under the Concrete Pavement and Infrastructure Improvement Project. He is joined by (from left) Social Impact Specialist at CEMEX, Jerome Cowans; Councillor for the Olympic Gardens Division, Kelvin Hall; Managing Director of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Jorge Martinez; and Councillor Caretaker, Seivwright Gardens Division, Everton Murray. The project, worth more than $8 million, was funded through CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme, in partnership with its local subsidiary, Caribbean Cement, and directly addressed long-standing drainage, safety and health hazards in the community.
Photo: Donald De La Haye
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (left) is assisted by Councillor Caretaker, Seivwright Gardens Division, Everton Murray (centre) and Managing Director of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Jorge Martinez (right) to plant a tree in one of the bricked spaces along the newly paved walkway in the Bell Rock community of Olympic Way in Kingston. The Concrete Pavement and Infrastructure Improvement Project was officially handed over on Friday (October 2). The project, worth more than $8 million, was funded through CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme, in partnership with its local subsidiary, Caribbean Cement, and directly addressed long-standing drainage, safety and health hazards in the community.The Full Story
Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and representatives from Caribbean Cement Company Limited on Friday (October 2), officially handed over the Concrete Pavement and Infrastructure Improvement Project in the Bell Rock community of Olympic Way in Kingston.
The project, worth more than $8 million, was funded through CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme in partnership with its local subsidiary Caribbean Cement.
It directly addressed long-standing drainage, safety and health hazards while providing upgraded infrastructure for more than 100 households in the community.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Prime Minister Holness noted that the community was first established in the 1950s as emergency disaster response housing following Hurricane Charlie.
He explained that Bell Rock then transitioned over the years from two-storey multi-family apartments to wooden bungalow-style structures courtesy of the Food For the Poor.
The Prime Minister highlighted that while residents have actively maintained their homes, the community’s shared surfaces required critical rehabilitation to address severe surface water accumulation, mud, flooding risks and public health concerns like mosquito infestations.
“The community, after 25 years of semi-permanent housing, needs a serious reconsideration, refresh, and rebuild. One of the things that we have decided to do is to improve the common surfaces that all the households in the community share,” Dr. Holness said, noting the rationale behind using CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme to address the issues.
The Prime Minister went on to thank the cement manufacturing company for its partnership and the completion of the project.
“I’m sure that the households that were affected… are no longer at risk and so, they haven’t told me yet, but I am taking the liberty on their behalf to extend gratitude to CEMEX and the Carib Cement Company for paving this area,” Dr. Holness said.
The infrastructure intervention included the installation of 600 square metres of concrete pavement, road patching, drainage, and decorative concrete design to specifically address infrastructure gaps in certain areas.
In addition to physical upgrades, the project emphasised local capacity-building as 19 Bell Rock residents were employed on the project and received formal training in safety protocols and specialised concrete pavement application techniques.
Managing Director of Caribbean Cement Company Limited, Jorge Martinez, emphasised the company’s ongoing dedication to sustainable development and community empowerment across Jamaica.
“We believe that this transfer of knowledge will redound in the benefit of those that have been engaged and involved in this project, equipping them with the highest skills that can be applied beyond this project. At Carib Cement, we remain fully committed to playing our part in building a stronger and more resilient Jamaica,” Mr. Martinez said.
The Bell Rock upgrade is one of the latest in CEMEX’s corporate social responsibility programme, which utilises cement to provide improvement to roadways and shared common areas in public developments, such as parks, and housing developments.
