In what has been described as “a true collaborative effort,” the Government of Jamaica is accelerating urgent works to repair the damaged Mt. Carey to Montpelier corridor in Southern St. James and complete a $700 million water transmission project that will serve more than 10,000 residents in Southern St. James.

The coordinated intervention by the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) is expected to ease commuters’ concerns over long travel times caused by poor road conditions, as well as the frequent water lock-offs resulting from a single line serving both transmission and distribution needs.

During a tour of the work in progress today (February 11, 2026), Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development, Hon. Robert Nesta Morgan, highlighted the repair work on the corridor, a critical artery linking communities in Southern St. James to Montego Bay.

“The contractor will be repairing approximately 4 kilometers of road, some of which were disturbed by the pipe and some of which were damaged by Hurricane Melissa and overall degradation,” he noted.

The work includes a full overlay of the Mt. Carey to Montpelier corridor, patching of other damaged sections, repairing areas disturbed during pipeline installation, and restoring hurricane-damaged zones.

“Not only that, but there will be about 400 metres of drains that will be repaired or built on this road, in order to ensure that when the road is repaired, rain and floodwaters do not further damage it,” Minister Morgan explained.

In tandem with the roadworks, JSIF’s $700 million water project will rehabilitate water tanks, install a new transmission line from Shettlewood to Anchovy Square, and improve supply to Shettlewood, Anchovy, Roehampton, and Montpelier.

JSIF Managing Director Omar Sweeney, who accompanied Minister Morgan on the tour, noted that Hurricane Melissa had previously derailed the project, washing out approximately 120 metres of pipeline and damaging road sections.

“Assessments were immediately conducted, and reconstruction is now proceeding with strengthened design features,” he said.

Minister Morgan described the dual roadwork and pipeline interventions as a model of Government collaboration

“It is a collaboration between two important Government agencies, the National Works Agency and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund…It is a demonstration that when we advocate on behalf of our citizens, the Government answers, and the citizens will see benefits coming to them from their tax dollars.”

He added that the NWA is working closely with the contractor to ensure quality and value for money:

“We are very confident in the contractor, Contraxx Enterprises Limited, who is experienced and has a very good reputation nationally for doing quality work, and we expect that within the next three weeks, the residents, the commuters, those living in and traversing through this area will see a significant improvement in their road infrastructure and their water supply.”

The combined upgrades are expected to improve quality of life, boost business activity, and strengthen long-term resilience across Southern St. James.