Jamaica advances water, bridge, housing and court backlog projects

Jamaica’s latest JIS news update highlighted major public works, housing, justice and social development initiatives, with projects spanning Manchester, St. Elizabeth, St. Catherine, St. Thomas and the national court system.

In Manchester, more than 5,000 people in Greater Mandeville are expected to receive steadier water service after the Hopeton Road to Waltham Road pipeline project was commissioned last Thursday. The roughly $123 million undertaking replaced an old asbestos cement main with three kilometres of ductile iron pipe. It is expected to cut water loss and improve service for about 1,300 households in Hopeton, Waltham, Perth, May Day and nearby communities. The work forms part of the more than $2.5 billion Greater Mandeville water supply system.

In St. Elizabeth, ground has been broken for the $148 million Santa Cruz bypass mains replacement project, being carried out by the National Water Commission. The project will replace decades-old pipes to improve reliability. Water, Environment and Climate Change Minister Matthew Samuda said pipeline replacement should be planned before systems reach failure point, and said completion is expected by November.

The Spring Village Bridge at Nightingale Grove in St. Catherine was formally reopened on Friday after being closed by the National Works Agency in February 2022 over safety concerns. The bridge was rebuilt for $250 million. Works Minister Robert Morgan said the new structure would help commerce, access to services and employment. Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness also called for faster procedures for critical infrastructure projects.

Dr. Holness also welcomed a private sector development of 221 housing units at Wickhall Estate in Spanish Town, saying it would support efforts to reduce Jamaica’s 150,000-unit housing deficit. The project, led by Altro Homes of the Arc Group, is located on Featherbed Lane, which is to be renamed Featherbed Drive. It will include two- and three-bedroom units priced from $28 million to $36.5 million. Holness said the Government is targeting 70,000 homes, including 42,000 through the NHT and 15,000 through the HAJ, but said private developers must also help meet demand.

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck told Parliament during the 2026-2027 Sectoral Debate that parish courts have pushed the national net case backlog rate below five per cent. He said the Supreme Court has posted a case clearance rate above 80 per cent and a judgment delivery rate above 100 per cent, while the Court of Appeal continues to clear more cases than it receives.

In St. Thomas, female students at Paul Bogle High School benefited from “It’s a Girls Thing”, an SDC initiative aimed at easing period poverty and improving menstrual health education. Parish manager Lorianne Pert Roberts said the programme was created after the SDC identified girls needing support with hygiene products and reliable health information. The SDC plans to take the initiative to all six high schools in the parish and launch a boys’ companion programme, “It’s a Man’s Thing”, at Paul Bogle High in November.