Press to Tour Christiana Road Project

KINGSTON — The media tour of the Christiana Road Project will be held next Thursday (June 16), said Minister with responsibility for Information, Telecommunications and Special Projects, Hon. Daryl Vaz.

The tour, previously scheduled for Friday (June 10), has been rescheduled due to the inclement weather.

Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Michael Henry, and Finance and Public Service Minister, Hon. Audley Shaw, in whose North East Manchester constituency the project is being executed, will lead the tour.

Speaking at Tuesday’s (June 8) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Minister Vaz said the tour will “allow for everybody to get a full understanding of this Christiana Road Development Project”.

He said that “there has been much” regarding the cost of the project, which entails the development of some one kilometre of roadway at a cost of US$8.9 million (approximately $800 million).

“Let me indicate, again, for clarity, that this is not the repair of a road…but a development road and it consists of several factors, including: the preliminaries, which are estimated at almost $180 million; the actual road of $370 million; retaining structures of almost $150 million; drainage of $30 million; and bridges of $36 million,” he stressed.

Minister Vaz said that details of the project, including the scope of works, will be clearly defined on the tour.

The Christiana Development Road Project is being carried out under the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).

By DOUGLAS McINTOSH, JIS Reporter