MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Minister with responsibility for works Everald Warmington is happy, yet disappointed with aspects of road works being done on behalf of the Government.

“I must say that I am very impressed with the progress and even more impressed with the quality of work that I have seen here [May Pen to Williamsfield] today. We have the South Coast Highway from Harbour View to Port Antonio and from May Pen to Williamsfield and it is a stark difference with projects; one, you have constant complaints…,” he said during a tour of the May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000, recently.

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is the main contractor for both sections of the South Coast Highway, but sections of the highway in Portland and St Thomas are subcontracted to local contractors.

Warmington suggested that the inclusion of local contractors was in question due to complaints.

“We find that from Harbour View to Yallahs there are little or no complaints, but the other section we have complaints as it relates to dust nuisance and the speed of the project itself and that one has to wonder whether it was a good idea to include local contractors in the project,” he said.

“We really want to help them get their involvement, but in the long run one is to ask the question, was it a wise decision and will it be a good decision going forward? If you don’t they will complain that you excluded the local contractors, but the issue is the local contractor living up to the expectation on these projects?

“One just has to compare from Yallahs to Port Antonio or Morant Bay Bridge to Port Antonio with from May Pen to Williamsfield,” added Warmington.

He, meanwhile, defended the National Works Agency (NWA) and sought to explain its role.

“The issue is people keep on not understanding the whole administration of the project and they complain and blame the [NWA]. The [NWA] is the engineer representing of the Government of Jamaica. The [NWA] is not involved in the actual supervision or construction of the project,” he said, with reference to the eastern section of the highway.

“The obligation is between [CHEC] and the local contractors on that section of the highway, so you can’t blame the [NWA], because the [NWA] cannot give instructions to the local contractors. They (contractors) are subcontracted to [CHEC]… so I want to make it clear that people who [are] continually bashing the [NWA that it] is not the agency or the person to be bashed around and criticised. They are only the engineer representing the employer, the Government,” Warmington explained.

He also pointed out the role of the National Road Operating & Constructing Company (NROCC) — which is responsible for overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of Jamaica’s highways — on the May Pen to Williamsfield leg.

Warmington said the May Pen to Williamsfield leg is 94 per cent complete and on track to be completed by August.

The project — which will reduce travel time between Kingston, Mandeville and other points west — was originally scheduled for completion in October 2022. The last date of completion given was March 2023 and before, a timeline was given for January 2023.

Warmington pointed to major infrastructure including the new Rio Minho Bridge – the largest four-lane bridge in Jamaica.

“In the past there were occasions when during [heavy] rains the water level at the Rio Minho River reached the underside of the decking of the Rio Minho Bridge. The new bridge over the Rio Minho has therefore been constructed higher and wider than the old bridge. Therefore, we won’t have flooding there,” he said.

He said CHEC will repair local roads that were used during the highway project.

“The contractor has so far fixed Foga Road, Decoy Road, St Jago Road, Redberry Road, Hampton Road and Trinity,” he noted, adding that the remaining local roads will be addressed.