Systems in Place to Protect Investments under SCHIP
By: , August 15, 2024
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (third left), and Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Robert Morgan (right), observe repair works being done on a section of the Pamphret main road in St. Thomas, on August 14. Also pictured are (from left) Mayor of Morant Bay, Councillor Louis Chin; Member of Parliament for St. Thomas Western, James Robertson; Television Jamaica journalist, Jamaila Maitland; and Senior Director at the National Works Agency, Varden Downer.The Full Story
Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is assuring the public that investments under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) are protected, and that systems are in place to deal with recent failures in Pamphret, St. Thomas.
Speaking on August 14 during a tour of the damaged road, Mr. Holness reminded that the “massive and very complicated project” is still within the contract period.
“We are disappointed that sections of the road would have failed, but the important thing to know is that the failures have occurred within the contract period. The contractor has an obligation to deliver the road to a certain standard. When the contract is finished and the road is handed over, you still have what is called the defects liability period of two years, so the public is totally protected,” he said.
JIS News observed repairs being done by the contractors, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).
It is reported that the damage to the road occurred from material failure and the road had become cracked.
The bad material is being removed and the rebuilding process is ongoing.
The Prime Minister explained that the issues are also a result of the road having to be built on an existing alignment and that, “even the road that was here before suffered the same fate…the water table is very high and in proximity to the sea and the swamp.”
“Of course, there is the immediate inconvenience of having to do the reworks, but you’re going to have this on projects like this, and I would say to the public, even other projects that we’re going to do, which involve working on existing alignments, these problems are going to occur again, but the important thing is we have the systems in place. This is not the construction of infrastructure of the past, this is a new way of ensuring that the infrastructure and investment is protected; systems are in place,” he added.
Pointing out why it was necessary to build on the existing alignment, Mr. Holness said the intention was to preserve the communities and commerce that existed in the area.
“We took a strategic decision that, as much as we could go inland we would, which we have done [and] as much as we could change the alignments, we have, and what we can’t, we would build on and reinforce,” he explained.
The SCHIP began in 2017 and is slated to end in 2025.
The objective of the project is to improve the alignment and capacity of the existing southern coastal main arterial road to improve safety and efficiency, and also provide for future development.