MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Motorists eager for the completion of the US$188-million May Pen to Williamsfield leg of Highway 2000 will have to wait until summer, even though the project is 90 per cent complete.

The project — which will reduce travel time from Kingston to Mandeville and other points west — was originally scheduled for completion in October 2022. This was then changed to March 2023 before a timeline was given for January 2023.

Stephen Edwards, managing director at National Road Operating & Constructing Company (NROCC) — which is responsible for overseeing the design, construction and maintenance of Jamaica’s highways — told the Jamaica Observer that, while the project deadline has been extended, it remains within budget.

“The project completion date is being extended into the summer of 2023 as a result of disruptions and delays caused by adverse weather conditions (significant increase in rainfall) in late 2022, which impacted excavation, drainage, and pavement works,” said Edwards.

“The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to disruption and delays throughout the project. It is important to note that the adjustment to the project duration, as a result of the aforementioned factors, will not affect the project cost,” added Edwards.

The May Pen to Williamsfield leg spans major infrastructure including the Rio Minho Bridge – the largest four-lane bridge in Jamaica.

“All bridges and underpasses have been completed, apart from the Melrose Hill Road underpass which is 80 per cent complete,” explained Edwards.

In Manchester, the highway project is advancing uphill with eastbound traffic still being diverted from the Melrose Hill bypass to the Old Melrose Hill Road to facilitate the construction of an interchange in the vicinity of the bypass.

China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which is the contractor of the highway project, had completed major rehabilitation work on 2.7 kilometres of the Old Melrose Hill Road from Williamsfield to Porus.

A motorist, who asked not to be named, told the Observer that he is eager to bypass the Porus main road.

“It is a pain to drive through Porus, especially at night. If I don’t have to I won’t be driving to Kingston until the highway is finished,” said the motorist who lives in St Elizabeth.

The deterioration of the Scott’s Pass to Porus main road has also adversely affected the flow of traffic on the Manchester/Clarendon border.

The highway project includes the design and construction of approximately 23 kilometres of a four-lane, arterial divided highway on a new alignment, and the upgrading of approximately five kilometres of the existing Melrose Hill bypass to a four-lane, rural, arterial divided highway.

Edwards said NROCC is focused on ensuring the highway is of the highest quality.

“NROCC seeks the understanding of the public as the project team works assiduously to deliver a highway that is safe, efficient, and of the highest quality,” he said.