Road Upgrading Will Boost Workforce Productivity – PM

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government’s work to upgrade several major thoroughfares in the Corporate Area will contribute to a more productive labour force, by significantly reducing travel time.

“If 12,000 to 15,000 Jamaicans…sit in traffic for 30 minutes to get from home to their destination, you can calculate the loss of time, productivity and built into that, the cost of energy that we waste. This investment will make our labour force far more productive,” he said.

The Prime Minister was addressing journalists on Friday (June 1), following a tour of several legacy road projects in Kingston and St. Andrew, under the Major Infrastructure Development Programme (MIDP).

He got a first-hand look at the completed Barbican Road upgrading, and work in progress on Constant Spring Road, Mandela Highway, and Hagley Park Road.

The legacy projects are aimed at significantly improving the targeted roadways to facilitate seamless travel by the commuting public.

In the meantime, Mr. Holness said all the projects, with a combined cost of US$170 million, are significant in scope.

“They are increasing the number of lanes, they are putting in modern road furniture, putting in modern technology for traffic (law) enforcement, having better surfaces; they are also built, taking into consideration the disabled community,” he said.

For his part, Chief Executive Officer of the National Works Agency (NWA), E.G. Hunter, informed that the works on the remaining projects are expected to be completed in the next six to eight months.

Mr. Hunter also appealed for the continued support and understanding of citizens “as we try to build the infrastructure that’s going to serve this country for the next 30 to 40 years.”

The projects were spearheaded by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, through the NWA, and were executed by China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC).