Mandela Highway to be extended this year

Minister of Transport, Works and Housing, Dr Omar Davies, says improvement works will be undertaken on the Mandela Highway this year under the Major Infrastructure Development Programme.

"There is going to be an additional lane on both sides, so you are going to have a six-lane strip," he said during a statement in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

A Ministry Paper tabled on October 20 last year in the Lower House, stated that Cabinet has given approval for the acquisition of seven parcels of land in St Andrew and St Catherine, with an estimated area of 63,102 square metres and 20 structures, to facilitate the upgrading of the highway.

The acquisition will be done using provisions under the Land Acquisition Act. The lands will be acquired between the exit ramp of the P.J. Patterson Highway and the Six Miles Bridge.

The Ministry Paper noted that the highway is the major connecting roadway between western Jamaica and the Corporate Area and is the most heavily trafficked roadway in Jamaica.

It also stated that the highway can be used as an evacuation route for the low-lying areas of Portmore, Kingston and St Andrew, should the need arise.

It further stated that it is anticipated that the proposed changes will reduce the incidence of flooding on Mandela Highway and better accommodate existing and future traffic demands.

- JIS