‘Start looking to the east’ - Holness tells developers to consider building houses in St Thomas, Portland

Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that the Government intends to drive development to eastern Jamaica.

The Government yesterday signed 15 sub-contracts for works under the long-delayed Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project. The improved roadway will stretch from Harbour View in St Andrew, through St Thomas, to Port Antonio in Portland.

"We are expecting to open up the eastern end of the island. We are not just making this massive investment of US$195-million because we want to put down a lovely carpet to Morant Bay and into eastern Portland. Yes we do, but in terms of the wider development plan, we have historically push development to the west ... we need now to push the development to the east," Holness said.

Some 16 kilometres of the road from Harbour View to Yallahs Bridge will be widened to accommodate four lanes of traffic. This is slated to begin in November.

Major rehabilitation work has been planned for 93 kilometres of main road from Yallahs Bridge to Port Antonio, and 27.5 kilometres of main road from Morant Bay to Cedar Valley.

"Once we put down the 14-kilometre dual carriage way, which will take us close to Morant Bay from Harbour View, we want to follow immediately behind that with housing. We are not just putting down the roads, we are putting down the necessary infrastructure for water and telecommunications, and where possible, sewerage," Holness said.

"Once we have put that down, all the land in that will become viable for development. The Government is going to be moving with the NHT (National Housing Trust) and the Housing Agency (of Jamicca) to start development on land that we own there. We call on developers to start looking now to the east," the prime minister added.

Holness said that the National Works Agency (NWA) must ensure that the project "is done in such a way that 50 years from now it will be standing strong."