Civic Space
“Not an easy Road!”- Jamaica’s Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project
By 
Robian Williams, Daina Davy, Abigail Bartley and Mahiri Stewart |
Jamaica’s Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project, SCHIP, is being touted as the country’s largest integrated road infrastructure project. The multi-billion dollar investment is being implemented by the Andrew Holness-led government, under the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with co-funding from the China Exim Bank.
The project commenced in January 2017, and is slated to be completed in the first quarter of 2025.
The flagship project is being executed in three tranches: Part A – May Pen to Williamsfield; Part B (ii) – Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge; and Part B (iii and iv) – Yallahs Bridge to Port Antonio and Morant Bay to Cedar Valley. The objective is to enhance the alignment and capacity of the existing southern coastal main arterial road, making it safer and more efficient for motorists to traverse. However, Part B (ii) – Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge of the project has been characterized by inordinate delays, poor community relations and a dust nuisance that has made life almost unbearable for residents of several communities, especially those living closest to the work site. Residents have been angered by the poor state and maintenance of the temporary roadway created to facilitate commuting.