Billions earmarked for 2,000 community roads

Some 2000 community roads will be rehabilitated over the next three years through a $40-billion allocation under the Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) programme.

"We have made excellent progress in dealing with our highways and main thoroughfares, and it is now time to address our secondary roads and our local roads," said Prime Minister Andrew Holness. He was making his Budget Debate presentation in the House of Representatives last week. Holness told the House that the National Works Agency (NWA) has started scoping the project and setting criteria for priority and selection of the roads, and the National Water Commission will collaborate to determine where water mains would not pose an issue for the overlay of the roads.

"Where water mains are old or in need of upgrade, then those roads would still be treated under this programme; however, they would be placed in a different implementation stream, since they would require more complex engineering and materials," he explained. Roads where no additional works are required, other than sidewalks and small retaining structures, will be the first to be selected for milling and overlay.

SPARK will immediately address many community, parochial and secondary roads where the road surface has been scoured or filled with potholes, but the subsurface and drainage are generally intact. Holness said that the programme will also focus on resurfacing some "white roads", where the asphalt has lost friction due to the type of aggregate used and the polishing effect of traffic over time. Improvement of intersections to include widening, installation of jersey barriers, signage and signalling will be done where the NWA deems necessary.

The prime minister told the House that only public thoroughfares that are on the registers of the NWA and the municipal authorities will be repaired under the programme, with housing scheme roads to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Holness said that members of parliament will play a key role in engaging and consulting their constituents in making recommendations on the roads to be repaired and the order of priority in which they are done.

The recommended roads must justify the expenditure and order of priority based on the volume of traffic they carry, the interconnectivity they facilitate, and the number of residences, businesses, and public facilities along the road, Holness said.

Meanwhile, road and bridge repair and maintenance will be addressed through a $6.9-billion allocation.