Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project Now 96 Per Cent Complete

The US$575-million Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) is 96 per cent complete.

This was announced by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, during his 2025/26 Sectoral Debate presentation in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (June 3).

He said major components of the project, which has transformed sections of Clarendon, Manchester, St. Andrew, St. Thomas and Portland, have already been opened to the public.

Mr. Morgan indicated that significant work on the St. Thomas to Portland phase is anticipated by the end of June 2025.

“However, we would have announced that the Port Antonio Bypass will continue the SCHIP for another 18 to 24 months,” he further pointed out.

The Minister noted that engineers are fully aware of vulnerabilities along the Yallahs-to-Port Antonio corridor and have factored various parameters into the design. In St. Thomas, these challenges include areas prone to flash flooding and landslides.

“An area such as Port Morant, which is highly prone to flooding, has received special attention. Through the project, we will mitigate the incidence of flooding in the space. I issue a word of caution, though, as depending on the intensity of the rainfall, we may yet still see flooding in several areas, owing to things like rainfall intensity,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Morgan informed that work continues on the US$350-million Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project.

The scope of works includes the Montego Bay Bypass Road, Barnett Street and West Green Avenue dualization, the Long Hill Bypass, and a Comprehensive Drainage Study of the Montego Bay Bypass area.

“One of the interesting things about the work that we are doing in Montego Bay is that we have created an aggregate testing lab. This lab is what we are using to check the quality of the asphalt that we are putting on the road. The asphalt on the perimeter road is of varying thickness… it comes from two inches up to three inches,” Mr. Morgan said.

He explained that, “every single kilometre of asphalt on the perimeter road is tested at the aggregate lab in St. James, adding that “every single SPARK (Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement of our Road Network) road is also being tested at the lab”.

“There are various standards for different roads. Rural roads may not have three inches of thickness, but there are sections of the SCHIP from Harbour View to Yallahs to Portland that have three inches,” Minister Morgan added.

He emphasised that the completion of the Perimeter Road represents a major infrastructure milestone and a strategic investment in the citizens of Montego Bay, and testament to the Government’s commitment to infrastructure development.

“I recently toured the project and am pleased to report that the Montego River bridge is almost complete, and the work of the project, generally, is 60 per cent complete. The Comprehensive Drainage Study will assess the major gullies that drain into the city and prepare detailed designs for implementation and modernisation,” he stated.

The National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited (NROCC), through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, signed a design-and-build contract with China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) for the execution of the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project.

Mr. Morgan emphasised that the Government’s roads and highway development extends beyond commuter convenience, pointing out that it aims to create an enabling environment that strengthens youth and community capacity, driving sustainable growth.