MoBay Bypass progressing steadily – PM Holness

Prime Minister Andrew Holness, who recently toured the under-construction Montego Bay Perimeter Road project, told the nation's Parliament that the project, commonly referred to as the 'Montego Bay Bypass,' is approximately 30 per cent complete and is progressing steadily.

Holness, who gave the update during his contribution to the 2024-25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, said the overall project also includes the Long Hill Bypass, the Barnett Street/West Green Avenue Road Rehabilitation, and a comprehensive drainage study of the Montego Bay Bypass.

The project, which is being undertaken by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company, is expected to significantly reduce traffic flow into Montego Bay, which is now quite chaotic during peak hours and extended periods of rainfall. The project, which started in 2019 and is slated for completion in March 2028, will allow motorists, whose destination is not in Montego Bay, to bypass the city.

"This project is going to be a landmark project for infrastructure in Jamaica. We intend to complete this in record time, but we are also going to be opening up many new corridors for development," said Holness.

He also noted that the project has emerged as a source of employment for many Jamaicans who are skilled in construction and construction management. According to him, 250 skilled Jamaican workers are employed on the project, with 25 of them at the management level. When the project reaches its peak, it is expected to have as much as 700 Jamaican workers.