St Mary gets road rehab

Jacks, River, St Mary:

A number of roads in St Mary will be rehabilitated under Government's road improvement initiative, the Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP).

The St Mary leg of the programme was launched last Wednesday in Eden Park, Jacks River.

The extensive road-repair project is being funded by the governments of Jamaica and China at a cost of US$400 million (J$36 billion). It will target the rehabilitation of major and parochial roads, bridges and walls and the periodic maintenance of road infrastructure.

Among the roads to be rehabilitated under JDIP in the parish are those from Derry to Hazard, Free Hill to Geddes Town, and Grandy Hole to Rock River to Richmond.

Minister of Transport and Works, Mike Henry, commended Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Minister of Finance Audley Shaw, for making it a reality. He said quality wouldbe emphasised and geotechnical studies of each parish done.

"You cannot build roads across Jamaica if you do not know the geotechnical structure of the parish you are dealing with," he said, explaining that each parish's road structure was different.

Use of red mud

The minister said, under the programme, Government was examining the use of red mud as an alternative product. He said this has passed the studies of the Scientific Research Council, but will be tested for its environmental impact, to ensure it can be acceptable to the communities at large.

Mr Henry added that, as part of the agreement between the Government of Jamaica and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), general contractors for the project, was the establishing of one of the "highest quality lab in the world", where testing will be done to determine the amount of material, such as marl or asphalt, that is being used in a mixture.

He also thanked the Peoples Republic of China for their role in the programme, and expressed confidence that CHEC will ensure that quality is maintained.

Meanwhile, Minister of State with responsible for Local Government in the Office of the Prime Minister, Robert Montague said the project was the "largest investment in the parochial roads network", and urged everyone to work together.

- JIS