Jamaica: PM Holness unveils Jamaica's largest road & water infrastructure initiative 'SPARK Programme'

Jamaica: Prime Minister Andrew Holness, earlier this week, officially launched the SPARK Programme which is the largest ever investment in road and water infrastructure in Jamaica. 

Through this programme, the Prime Minister said that every constituency will benefit. 

According to the information, SPARK will improve travel, reduce costs and create opportunities for all, with smoother roads, upgraded water systems and fibre optic technology to drive the digital future.

Additionally, PM Holness said that the administration is rolling out a $2 billion Emergency Islandwide Main Road Patching Programme this month to repair roads damaged by recent weather events. This major initiative will restore key routes, improve safety and support daily life for Jamaicans.

In 2023, the government announced the shared prosperity through accelerate improvement in the Road Network Spark Program, the largest and most comprehensive in the independent history to improve the road network, including the community roads. 

This is a massive program that needs extensive planning, community-based consultations across the island as well as an international competitive bidding process and now they are finally at a point where they will sign the contract for works.  

While officially launching the programme PM Holness outlined, “The condition of our roads is a national emergency. The consistent rain we have been experiencing over the last few weeks has done tremendous damage to our roads.”

He added that while SPARK will address roads on a more comprehensive level, 2 billion dollars will be allocated for the immediate fixing of the roads to include patching of potholes that are a headache of the road users.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that the work will start on this program during this very month of December. 

“I am pleased to report that we have completed all the processes without compromising any guidelines established for good fiscal management, anti-corruption, and transparency. This is something to be celebrated,” he remarked. 

He also noted that the programme has also been launched while keeping in mind the recent heavy rains which have highlighted serious challenges with the road network. Landslides, flooding, cracked asphalt and collapses slopes have left several roads in need of urgent repairs. 

Holness emphasised that so far this year, 77 incidents of road damage have been reported and assessments are still ongoing and added, “This is not a Jamaican issue, many nations including Costa Rica, whose GDP and resources far exceed ours, are grappling with similar crises.”

He added that the truth is decades of underinvestment left the infrastructure vulnerable and climate change is pushing it to the limit which is why it was necessary to launch such a programme which will address this critical issue in Jamaica.