CONTRACTS SIGNED FOR SEGMENT THREE OF NORTH COAST HIGHWAY

Signing contract documents are from left to right: Hon. Robert Pickersgill, Prime Minister P.J Patterson, Dr. Omar Davies and Mr. Gerd Jarchow.

Prime Minister P.J Patterson on Tuesday, October 3, 2005 signed contracts for the commencement of work on Segment Three of the North Coast Highway.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Patterson highlighted the fact that the project fell within the ambit of government’s undertaking to substantially enhance, improve and modernise the country’s infrastructure of roads, bridges, water supplies and public amenities.
‘The overall objective is to foster long term economic diversification and growth in the tourism sector, by improving road conditions,” the Prime Minister said. ‘This is expected to contribute to increased export earnings, employment and social development in the project area,’ he continued.

For his part, Minister with portfolio responsibility for Transport & Works, Hon. Robert Pickersgill noted that motorists, business operators and residents of the communities located along the portion of the corridor already completed are benefiting from the speedier movement of people, goods and services along the network and the reduction in vehicle operating costs.

In 1998, the Government of Jamaica and the European Commission signed the financing agreement for the third segment of the Northern Coastal Highway Improvement Project in the amount of EURO80 million. The Project involves the reconstruction and re-habilitation of approximately 96km of road between Ocho Rios, St. Ann and Port Antonio, Portland. Total cost of the project is EURO 105.0 million with the GOJ contributing EURO 25 million for land acquisition and re-settlement as well as the construction of three bridges along the segment.

The entire project consists of approximately 287km of roadway and is divided into three segments.
· Segment 1 – Negril to Montego Bay (approx. 71km)
· Segment 2 – Montego Bay to Ocho Rios (approx. 97km)
· Segment 3 – Ocho Rios to Fair Prospect (approx. 119km)

Prime Minister P.J Patterson (2nd from right) hands over signed contract to Mr. Troels Rasmussenof E. PIHL and Sons (the contractor). Otheres in the picture from left are Dr. Paul Robertson, Hon. Robert Pickersgill and Dr. Omar Davies.

Segment One was completed and opened in September, 2002 and was jointly funded by the GOJ and the Japan Bank for International Co-operation (JIBC), formerly the Overseas Co-operative Fund (OECF).

Segment Two is now 75% complete and is funded by the Inter American Development Bank

The Northern Coastal Highway Project is but one sub-project of the wider Northern Jamaica Development Project (NJDP). The others are:
· The Ocho Rios Pier Development
· Montego Bay Sewerage Project
· Lucea to Negril Water Supply Scheme and the
· Montego Bay Drainage and Flood Control (aka South Gully Project).

Mr. Gerd Jarchow, Head of the European Union in Jamaica also spoke at the contract signing. Said he, ‘As part of its commitment to Jamaica’s infrastructure development, the European Commission has allocated a total of 80 million EUROS for the construction of the Northern Coastal Highway which when completed will run from Negril to Port Antonio. Today’s endorsement for the rehabilitation of Segment 3, (between Ocho Rios and Port Antonio) is for the financing of work for the final phase of the Northern Coastal Highway.

Work to be done on Segment Three will include increase in road width, reconstruction of 12 bridges along the highway, construction of a dual lane and partial rehabilitation of the pavement. There will also be improvement to the drainage system and main water lines adjacent to the road.

Work on Segment Three will start at the Wag Water Bridge near Junction and will see two teams working from either and of the roadway. One team will work towards Port Antonio while the other will work from the Ocho Rios end. Completion for this phase of Northern Coastal Highway has been scheduled for June 2008. E. PIHL and Sons from Denmark is the contractor and the sub contractor Lagan International from Northern Ireland. Work will be supervised by the National Works Agency (NWA) which will be assisted by engineering consultant Nicholas O’Dwyer of Ireland.