Government proposes singular road management agency

The announcement was made by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Robert Morgan, during the St. Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly meeting on Wednesday (April 30) at Cecil’s Restaurant in Spanish Town. 

Minister Morgan explained that while the idea of a single road authority has been under consideration since 2008, the need became more apparent during preparations for the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme. 

“To implement the SPARK programme, we faced a major challenge — there was no centralized record of Jamaica’s road network. The Prime Minister [Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness] had to commission a study to determine the total length of roads in the country,” he revealed. 

The study found that Jamaica has over 27,000 kilometres of roads, managed by multiple entities, including the National Works Agency (NWA), the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA), and Municipal Corporations. However, some roads remain unassigned, falling outside the jurisdiction of any agency. 

“There are parish council roads, farm roads, private roads, and scheme roads that were never officially handed over. Some roads have even been abandoned, leading to confusion over responsibility for repairs,” Minister Morgan stated. 

He emphasized that this lack of clarity disproportionately affects citizens, as agencies often decline responsibility for roads not under their purview. The proposed One Road Authority aims to resolve these issues, though its exact structure remains under discussion. 

“Stakeholders, including Municipal Corporations, the NWA, and RADA, have raised concerns about the potential redistribution of their responsibilities. We will engage in extensive consultations to determine the authority’s final framework,” he said. 

Additionally, Minister Morgan projected that the government would need to invest approximately $20 billion annually over the next 15 years to address road rehabilitation. 

“For decades, limited economic capacity hindered proper investment in road infrastructure. As the economy strengthens, increased funding will be essential to rectify this,” he noted.