Work Advanced on Road Infrastructure Projects

Work is advanced on several major road infrastructure projects across the island.

Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, who gave the update while delivering the Throne Speech to open the 2026/2027 legislative year in Gordon House on Thursday (February 12), said that the Montego Bay Perimeter Road is 75 per cent complete and the project is scheduled to conclude in September 2026.

He said that the Long Hill Bypass and the Barnett Street Road Rehabilitation in St. James are slated for completion in January and March 2027, respectively, and construction of the Portmore Resilience Park in St. Catherine will be finalised in the new financial year.

“Capacity expansion continues under the Special Capital Expenditure Programme, including the dualisation of Braeton Road and Hellshire Main Road [in St. Catherine], and the phased Arthur Wint Drive, Tom Redcam, Camp Road upgrade [in St. Andrew]. The Accelerated Bridge Programme will also begin, replacing structurally vulnerable bridges,” he told the House.

As at December 2025, work under the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network was 20 per cent complete, while other major national projects advanced significantly.

Turning to land titling, the Governor-General informed that the Systematic Land Registration Programme has produced more than 13,000 titles, with more than 10,000 delivered across St. Elizabeth, Manchester, and St. Catherine.

He said that the Administration will continue to increase the issuance of titles through strategic funding partnerships.

“Additionally, to improve efficiency, the contract for the Electronic Titling System was signed and implementation is planned for 2027/2028. To improve our capacity, we are also advancing our partnership with the Koreans for our surveyor training programme,” he told the House.

On housing, the Governor-Geneal noted that the Government will be accelerating the delivery of units through new building methods and systems, and engaging more small contractors, including young people.

He reported that under the New Social Housing Programme (NSHP), 314 units (720 rooms) have been completed, to date, benefiting more than 1,100 Jamaicans.

As it relates to legislative measures, he informed that priority will be given to the Quantity Surveyors (Registration) Act, Registration (Shared Community) Act, and reforms to the Real Estate and Rent Restriction Acts, alongside policies on squatter management, urban renewal, construction-industry reform, and public-rights-of-way governance.