Road Repairs Commence Under REACH Programme

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says road repairs have commenced under the Relief Emergency Assistance and Community Help (REACH) Programme, which supports post-Hurricane Beryl recovery efforts.

He was providing an update on the REACH Road Rehabilitation Programme’s implementation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (October 8).

REACH was initiated by the Government to repair widespread road damage caused during the hurricane’s passage just south of Jamaica on July 3.

“After the completion of the procurement process and delays due to weeks of heavy rains, I’m pleased to report that work has now begun under the programme. Currently, patching efforts are under way across various constituencies, and these activities will be significantly escalated in the coming days to address the backlog of [pending] repairs,” the Prime Minister said.

Dr. Holness reiterated that there will be phased implementation of the programme, with each constituency being allocated $20 million for the necessary road works, including pothole patching, small-scale rehabilitation and minor drain improvements.

He advised that the National Works Agency (NWA) is actively overseeing the implementation to ensure efficiency and accountability.

The Prime Minister said the NWA will also engage in rehabilitating main thoroughfares at a cost of more than $600 million to complement works on community roads and urged patience by the commuting public as the work is executed.

“This $3-billion programme is necessary and essential to provide greater well-being for our commuting public. While we welcome this progress, we must also acknowledge that there will be some unavoidable disruptions to traffic flows as the work intensifies. I, therefore, appeal to the commuting public for their patience and understanding, as these inconveniences will result in much improved road conditions,” he said.

Dr. Holness urged all Members of Parliament (MPs) to continue working closely with the NWA to ensure the programme is executed within the established timelines.

“ I raise that point because we have allocated, by constituency, $20 million… $10 million to the end of the year and another $10 million in the beginning of next year… but if the MPs don’t send in their work schedule and programme on a timely basis, the citizens can’t feel the benefit. Therefore, I’m encouraging Members to please, as quickly as you can, send in your work programme to the NWA,” he said.