Contractor’s Materials Testing Laboratory, Montego Bay
Remarks
By
The Most Honourable Andrew Holness ON, PC, MP
Prime Minister of Jamaica
At the
Contractor’s Materials Testing Laboratory, Montego Bay
On
October 16, 2024
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Today I had the privilege of touring one of the major infrastructure development projects for Jamaica, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road. The Montego Bay Perimeter Road is not only the bypass of Montego Bay, it involves improvement of various roadways within Montego Bay proper and the Long Hill bypass.
I’m very impressed with what I have seen. This is one of the Jamaica 60 legacy projects, and we are at 50 percent completion already for such a massive project. Some of the infrastructure work is impressive. We viewed a bridge that is 30 meters high, 180 meters in length, a four-lane bridge. That is possibly the longest bridge in Jamaica, the infrastructure is laudable but what I’m particularly impressed with is the integration of the local labour force into the actual construction itself.
The project is managed and being executed by China Harbour, but the arrangements that have been put in place to ensure that local workforce and local talent is integrated. I think those arrangements have to be commended. I saw young people working as labourers, but also working as engineers, as site manager, as foremen so we have ensured that our local population here is getting exposure to the technology and the required skills that will be left behind and will be available for other projects, but I’m also very impressed with this building right here and the team at the testing lab. This will be another long-lasting legacy of the project. A requirement for the project was for China Harbour to build this lab. This lab will then be turned over to the University of the West Indies so it will be used for research as well as a commercial lab to assist other projects that will come in the area.
I want to say to the people of Montego Bay that the government is trying to strike the right balance between the development of infrastructure that is going to drive rapid growth and the development of infrastructure to support the development of communities. That’s a fine political balance that has to be struck because there are many communities that have been suffering for decades with bad roads and we have put in place a budgetary allocation of over 45 billion Jamaican dollars to have started, which we hope to start this year, the SPARK Programme and the SPARK Programme is intended to focus on the community roads.
The overall strategy of the government is growth. If the economy does not grow, the truth is no matter what politicians promise you, they won’t be able to do it, including fixing your roads. When I see demonstrations and protests over roads, I am forced to recall that many of these protests and demonstrations happened four years before, 10 years before, 20 years before for the same road. The truth is that governments before did not have the economic wherewithal to address these issues. It is only now that you have had a government that has made a priority of fixing the economy. And I’m not here saying that our economy is fixed and is perfect. Our economy is still susceptible to shock, but we are able to withstand them much better and recover and grow.
Our economy is growing this year, the growth might not be what we expect, but I’m certain that as we take steps such as building projects like these, which will improve the efficiency and productivity of our workforce in Montego Bay, you’re spending less time in traffic, you’re losing less time in an unproductive exercise being stuck in traffic, the congestion in the town. This road will ensure that people who work in the BPO sector and in the hotel sector can get to work on time, leave work not feeling so distressed. It will also ensure that our visitors are able to move from hotels to attractions and back to their ships or aircraft. It will improve overall productivity and efficiency, and that will make the economy grow. And as the economy grows, then we will have more revenues to put more money into the community roads.
So, the government recognizes the delicate balance that we have to do these major infrastructure, and we also have to fix your community, the road that pass your gate, but in order to fix the road that pass your gate and the water to your house, we need projects like these that are going to improve overall economic productivity that will generate more economic activity, and that is what we have been doing. We have only just started. The problems that have existed for decades will take some time to be corrected but as we accelerate projects like these, you’re going to see greater improvement in our economy, and that will then be translated into benefits for your community and your household. So, great seeing this project materialize. Jamaica 60 Legacy Project will be finished next year, and the Jamaican people will see the benefit, both in the general economy and in your community.