SPARK programme begins

By Clinton McGregor    

 

Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness has declared that his administration is determined to rehabilitate the country's road network.

 

The administration has been heavily criticised for the poor state of the roads.

 

Speaking Monday during a tour of Everest road in Harbour View, St. Andrew, the first of several projects to be undertaken under the SPARK programme, Dr. Holness reiterated that a number of community roads will be repaired under the $40 billion programme.

 

He said residents in communities across the island had determined the list of roads to be repaired under SPARK.

 

"From the long list, the member of Parliament, the NWA, councillors and other interested parties would go through and we come up with a shortlist. Now, not every road on the long list can be repaired. So the roads that we're going to be repairing first are the roads that first of all require the least intervention, meaning that there are some roads that will require massive retaining walls, will require the laying of pipes, big water main, we may have to acquire land. And so those things elongate the process. And if we were to take a road that requires all of that, then we probably won't start until another year. So we're starting with the roads that are easiest to rehabilitate," he explained. 

 

Prime Minister Holness said the government intends to ramp up repairs to major corridors in the coming weeks.

 

"Now, we intend to start rapidly right across the island. So though we're starting here today, other constituencies and other communities can expect within short order they will see a mobilisation of work assets in their areas for the roads for which they have expressed the interest in seeing those roads rehabilitated."

 

Additionally, Dr. Holness said the National Works Agency and the government will direct resources to national roadways, which he explained are those that have "national strategic value, meaning they help with connectivity, they are critical for production and they are critical for security reasons".