NWA Launches Major Road Repair Effort After Weather Delays

Kingston, Jamaica — The National Works Agency (NWA) has resumed its road repair efforts across Kingston, St Catherine, and St Thomas through a patching programme valued at $236 million. The initiative, which had been delayed due to heavy rainfall since July, officially restarted two weeks ago, targeting approximately 63 main roads across the three parishes.

Stephen Shaw, the NWA’s Manager of Communication and Customer Services, confirmed that the repairs involve hotmix patching aimed at improving driving conditions. The programme, which was originally scheduled to begin before the reopening of schools in September, is expected to be completed by the end of November.

In Kingston, roadways being repaired include sections of Maxfield Avenue, Oxford Road, Shortwood Road, Chisholm Avenue, and the Port Royal main road from Norman Manley International Airport. Other downtown Kingston streets like Port Royal Street, Water Lane, Harbour Street, Spanish Town Road, and Washington Boulevard are also included.

In St Catherine, the patching programme is addressing roads such as Portmore Crossing to Municipal Boulevard, Old Harbour Roundabout to Gutters, Bog Walk Gorge, and the westbound lanes of Mandela Highway. In St Thomas, roadworks are ongoing on stretches such as New and Old Pera, Johnson Mountain, Port Morant to Bath, and the Airy Castle main road.

Several roads have already been repaired under the programme, including Red Hills Road, Balmoral Avenue, Spanish Town Bypass, Waltham Park Road, Hagley Park Road, Waterloo Road, and Knutsford Boulevard. The NWA’s efforts aim to improve overall traffic flow and road safety in these areas as the works continue.