Two contracts for the rehabilitation of George Boulevard in Portmore and Kingsway in St. Andrew were signed on March 25, 2014 at the Offices of the Ministry of Transport, Works & Housing.

In the case of Kingsway, the contract which was signed in the amount of $15.5M will see repairs being carried out involving the rehabilitation of the roadway inclusive of kerb walls and sidewalk. Approximately 700 metres of roadway on this corridor is to be rehabilitated and the Project is expected to get underway within the next four weeks and is to last for three months.

Scope of works on the Project includes:

·         Complete Base Course Works

·         Changing of Kerbs

·         Re-construction of sidewalks

·         The priming of the roadway and

·         The application of 50mm thick asphaltic concrete overlay

Contractor for this Project is Surrey Paving and Aggregates Ltd. The other Project covers the corridor from the Bayside Roundabout to Waterford (George Lee Boulevard) in Portmore, St. Catherine. The length of the stretch of roadway to be rehabilitated is 2.6KM and work on it will last for 3 months.

The contract sum is $68M and the contractor is General Paving Company Ltd. Scope of Works on this Project includes:

·         Site Clearance

·         Drain Cleanin

·         Drain construction

·         Shoulder Repairs

·         Base and sub Base works

·         Removal of soft spots

·         Milling of road surface

·         Regulation and priming

·         Paving of surface 50mm asphaltic concrete and

·         Laying of kerbs

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Works Minister, Dr. Omar Davies said he was pleased to see work being done on these corridors. He noted that the particular projects fall within constituencies represented by persons on both sides of the political divide, a situation he says is as it should be. Further, he noted that the Ministry has been undertaking repairs of roads falling under the aegis of Parish Councils, so long as the resources are available, a position he says which speaks to a more integrated approach to infrastructural development.

For his part, MP for North East St. Andrew, Mr. Delroy Chuck says he is pleased about the works taking place on Kingsway and thanked the Road Maintenance Fund for providing the funds to effect the repairs. He however has a concern about building outfits which cause damage to roads based on the actions of heavy vehicles; he ways he would like to see them putting in place funds to deal with such.

Also speaking was Hon. Colin Fagan, MP for South East St. Catherine who also expressed pleasure at the work to be done on the George Lee Boulevard. He notes that the aesthetics of the area will be improved and employment will be generated as a result.