Prime Minister Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness has announced a bold, integrated infrastructure programme to eliminate chronic congestion along Jamaica’s north coast while unlocking a new era of tourism and economic expansion.
Making his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate in Parliament on March 19, 2026, the Prime Minister confirmed that feasibility work is now underway for the North-South Highway Extension Project, featuring two new high-speed, tolled links branching from Mammee Bay west to Discovery Bay and east to Tower Isle.
The corridors are designed to divert through-traffic, significantly reduce travel times, and open new zones for investment.
This will be followed by the North Coast Highway Improvement Project, including targeted dualisation from Montego Bay to Drax Hall to increase capacity and improve safety along one of the island’s busiest corridors.
“The Drax Hall corridor is not a problem to be managed—it is a success story to be expanded,” Holness said. “With this investment, we give it the infrastructure it deserves and unlock the next chapter of growth along Jamaica’s most visited coastline.”
The Prime Minister also outlined the national vision of a continuous, modern highway network connecting all parishes, ports, airports, and major economic centres into a single, seamless system, reducing logistics costs, opening new development corridors, and strengthening resilience in times of disaster.
Implementation is already underway with construction on the Port Antonio Bypass, an 18-kilometre corridor that will divert traffic from the town centre while creating space for housing, commerce, and new economic activity.
“This US$81-million project is the essential precondition for everything else the Master Plan seeks to achieve. The 18-kilometre corridor will be delivered in two phases, the first spanning Norwich to Turtle Crawl Harbour, seven kilometres of four-lane roadway, new bridges, and upgraded drainage, built inland and elevated to protect against storm surges and coastal erosion”, he explained.
Grounded in lessons learned from Hurricane Melissa, Prime Minister Holness also said the Government is shifting decisively away from fragmented infrastructure development toward integrated planning, aligning roads, drainage, utilities, and climate resilience from the design stage.
“Building in silos has cost us…we are moving to a disciplined, integrated approach, planning well, building well, and maintaining consistently so we never pay twice”, the Prime Minister noted.
Supporting this shift are governance reforms, including the introduction of the One Road Authority to strengthen coordination, accountability, and lifecycle management across the national network.