Above: Jamaica (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A major road project in Jamaica is getting a big boost.

Jamaica’s “Major Infrastructure Development Programme” has received a budget allocation of $28.9 million USD in the country’s most recent proposed budget.

The project is a significant overhaul of the island’s road network “in order to stimulate economic development and enhance the welfare of Jamaica’s citizens,” according to a government statement.

The project has already completed a feasibility study, and Jamaica has signed a conditional contract with the China Harbour Engineering Company to carry out the project.

The government has also completed negotiations for prices for undertaking civil works on eight roads and six bridges in the country, it said.

In the next two years, Jamiaca plans to launch and complete repair projects to community roads, retaining walls and drainage structures, and to launch a series of rehabilitation projects on “prioritized” roads and bridges.

China’s EXIM Bank is funding the project, which is slated for completion in 2018.