St. Ann Roads to be Repaired Under JDIP

The St. Ann leg of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), which will see the repair of the road network in the parish, was launched at the Turtle River Park, Ocho Rios, on September, 10.
The programme will be carried out at a cost of some $400 million to $450 million in the first phase, and the work should commence between this month and October.
Speaking at the launch, Prime Minister Hon. Bruce Golding said the islandwide programme is expected to be carried out over a five-year period, and emphasised that it would be implemented in a way that was not only fair, but also transparent.

Prime Minister Hon. Bruce Golding (second left), greets representative of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited, Liu Jailin (right), at the launch of the St. Ann leg of the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), at the Turtle River Park, in Ocho Rios, on September 10.

Partly hidden at left is Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Michael Henry.

“This programme is geared towards fixing bad roads wherever they exist, whether the Member of Parliament for the constituency is of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) or the People’s National Party (PNP),” he said, assuring that the programme was not a political project, but rather a national project that would be done to benefit Jamaica and the people of Jamaica.
A major undertaking by the government of Jamaica to significantly improve the island’s road network, the project is being done with a view to stimulating economic development and enhancing the quality of life of Jamaicans.
The programme is to be funded by a loan from the People’s Republic of China. The money will be repaid though the gas tax.
Approximately US$400 million (J$36 billion) has been made available through this partnership to effect works on the road network. The National Works Agency (NWA) will be the implementing agency, with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited being the contractors.
The Prime Minister thanked the Chinese Government for their invaluable contribution to making the JDIP a reality.
“I want to pay tribute as well to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited. We want to thank them for their energy, their interest and their co-operativeness, as they are taking on something that I don’t think any other contractor has ever done in Jamaica,” Mr. Golding said.
Meanwhile, Representative from CHEC Limited, Liu Jailin said the company was very proud to have been chosen to carry out the project.
“We will maintain our good international reputation by creating the greatest value for money for Jamaicans as we execute the projects in Jamaica. We look forward to a strong relationship and many more years of growth in our partnership with the Jamaican Government and the Jamaican people,” he said.
Also attending the launch were Minister of Transport and Works, Hon. Michael Henry and Chief Executive Officer of the National Works Agency (NWA), Patrick Wong.