Holness Opens Upgraded Caenwood Road in Portland Under SPARK Programme

Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness commissioned the upgraded Caenwood Road in Portland on Friday, July 3, giving residents a safer, smoother and more dependable route for daily travel.

The project was delivered through the Government's $45 billion Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement (SPARK) programme, with China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) serving as the lead contractor.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Dr. Holness said the roadway was built with lasting performance in mind. "The road that we open today is designed to last a minimum of seven years without need for rehabilitation. But every road, regardless of how well built, will need, at some point, to be rehabilitated. The better built, the longer the period of time before rehabilitation and less will be the need for rehabilitation," he pointed out.

The Prime Minister again stressed the importance of strengthening Jamaica's local contracting sector to handle major public works. He said the country is moving into a fresh stage of national development and must put in place the institutions and skills needed to deliver projects to the highest standard.

"There is no way we are going to build Jamaica without having a strong local contracting class. We need good, strong solid contractors," he said. "We need our contractors to move up to a level of enterprise and corporate thinking [where] they are investing in their business, they are getting the technical skills and they are building the balance sheets to be able to properly execute the level of work that the Government is coming with," he added.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development with responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, described Caenwood Road as a key corridor that had fallen into a deplorable state.

"I am happy that we can come here today and we can open this road officially so that the people can see that their tax dollars have been working for their benefit," he said.

He praised the standard of the finished works, noting that the route now has adequate drainage.

Minister Morgan also reported that 110 quality roads have been completed under SPARK, while eight roads across East and West Portland remain at different points in the construction cycle.

Member of Parliament for Portland Western, Hon. Daryl Vaz, thanked the Government on behalf of residents in his address.

"I'm so delighted for the rehabilitation that has taken place on the Caenwood Road," he said, noting that "we have done patching before, but of course, with the amount of rain in Portland that doesn't last."

He also pointed to progress on the nearby Whitegate to Rodney Hall road, saying the scheme is nearing completion.

"I can say that the SPARK is fully sparking…in the parish of Portland," Mr. Vaz said.