Contracts signed for multibillion-dollar SPARK programme

The Government's historic multibillion-dollar road improvement project is set to commence later this month.

Four contracts with an aggregate value of $36 billion comprising the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to the Road Network (SPARK) were signed on Thursday between the Government of Jamaica and the main contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC).

Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced that an additional $5 billion will be spent on water-related infrastructure, including $2 billion on pipes.

“So, in total, about $38 billion that will be spent on infrastructure that will be in the ground,” said Holness while addressing the signing ceremony.

Approximately $3 billion has also been set aside to cover, among other things, pre-investment costs and the costs to properly supervise the works, which the prime minister insisted was “necessary to ensure value for money.”

“So we expect that many of the problems that we ran into with other projects we will not have with the SPARK programme,” he said.

The over 600 roads listed for extensive renovation were selected by Jamaicans through the first-ever public consultations held with members of parliament in each of the 63 constituencies across the country, Holness said.

St Andrew Western, which is represented by the People's National Party's Anthony Hylton, is the first constituency where work under the SPARK programme will commence.

St Elizabeth North West, which is represented by the Jamaica Labour Party's JC Hutchinson, will follow.

The construction contracts are divided into four packages, which are scheduled for two years with an additional year for the defects liability period during which time the contractor will be required to repair defects.

Package one

Kingston, St Andrew and St Thomas

Package two

St Catherine and Clarendon

Package three

Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland and Hanover

Package four

St James, Trelawny, St Ann and St Mary and Portland

- Livern Barrett

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