Road Building in Jamaica
The Road From Runaway Bay going through Browns Town to St Elizabeth is in need of major repair. As a small company APcom relies on donations and sponsorship from the general public and the Big Two. (Digicel and Virgin).
Road Surface Paint has previously been donated from the UK Government and used to
complete The Santa Cruz Project in 2008. When things work they go un-
Here’s a small reminder :
April 2015 Update : Work has now ceased
APcom continue to overturn all obstacles placed in our way in the pursuit of championing safer roads in Jamaica. Road surface marking is any kind of device or material that is used on a road surface in order to convey official information. They can also be applied in other facilities used by vehicles to mark parking spaces or designate areas for other uses. Road surface markings are used on paved roadways to provide guidance and information to drivers and pedestrians. Uniformity of the markings is an important factor in minimizing confusion and uncertainty about their meaning, and efforts exist to standardize such markings across borders. However, countries and areas categorize and specify road surface markings in different ways.
In Jamaica you drive at your own peril. Often there is no road markings, poor road paving's if any and little or no street lights. Road safety consists of a good loud horn “beep beep move out d’way.” Sadly since the resignation of JA’s Premier Bruce Golding 2011 (Labour). New Premier Porta Simpson Miller (BNP) Has not continued the reforms Labour committed to investing in the country’s infrastructure and the people. Without this investment companies such as APcom cannot possibly hope to compete with the likes of (CHEC) instead we can only hope tp work with them. While (CHEC) are building roads in the Tourist areas of Nigril, Runaway Bay and Ochie. We APcom continue to build smaller roads and bus stops with road drainage systems in St. Elizabeth, Santa Cruz. This work is vital and could not continue without sponsorship from Digicel and Virgin Media, our work force is the people of Jamaica………. And now A few words about CHEC.
ENGINEERING powerhouse China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), will be the technical and construction brains behind the much vaunted Jamaica Development Infrastructure Programme (JDIP), intended to be the catalyst behind the revitalisation of the country's roadworks and bridges. This programme will play a significant part in the country's economic development and should create many new jobs.
CHEC has already set up offices in New Kingston's Courtleigh Centre and has begun
assiduously to go about the task at hand. The JDIP is a five-
Speaking with Caribbean Business Report from CHEC's offices in New Kingston, Regional Director Zhongdong Tang said: "We are looking for other opportunities that can bring benefits to Jamaica. We have expressed an interest in constructing a highway from Spanish Town to Ocho Rios which in effect will form a South/North link. Jamaica does need to provide quick and safe transportation to the two ends of the country. We have already begun negotiations with government agencies on this project and sent the government a proposal and I am sure that we will be able to reach some sort of agreement. We can also help to contribute to Jamaica's development by constructing a number of hotels in the resort areas and by putting up sea poles in Kingston Harbour," declared Tang.
Highway 2000 / The Mount Rosser Bypass
A decade ago, French civil engineering giant Bouygues Travaux Publics undertook the
construction of Highway 2000, the most ambitious roadworks programme ever undertaken
in the country. However, financing problems saw Bouygues walk away from the project
and it also cited technical difficulties with the Mount Rosser Bypass. There is already
a US$50-
Speaking on this matter earlier this year, Finance Minister Audley Shaw said: "Imagine the consequence of the overruns we have already faced on that project which is quite significant. It is somewhere between US$30 million and US$50 million that we will have to find and yet we can't drive on that road as yet. What we are now looking at is the lack of financing being in place to connect Spanish Town to Mount Rosser and Ewarton to Ocho Rios."
Construction on the Mount Rosser section of Highway 2000 was initially projected to cost US$99 million but was revised to US$125 million in 2009 with geological problems in Mulloch near the St Catherine/St Ann border pushing that figure even higher. So what can CHEC bring to this beleaguered project that Bouygues could not?
"We have considerable experience in road and bridge works going back many years. We have a construction and engineering team that has carved out a stellar reputation for design and construction. For this highway between Spanish Town and Ocho Rios, construction began in 2007 and up to now there have been many technical problems which cannot be solved between the Jamaican government and Bouygues. As a result we have been invited by the government to submit a proposal. We think we can provide a favourable solution and get this project completed on a timely basis. In January we signed an MOU to complete five kilometre of the highway but it is very technical as we have to contend with mud slides. We have found a technical solution that will make Mount Rosser operational. From design to completion should take us about a year. If we can get an agreement we can break ground by this November. The designs are ongoing and are being done by the American company AECOM. The project is estimated to cost between US$60 to US$70 million."
One of the problems with Jamaican roadworks is that continual patchwork is always in motion with an inability to embark on more fundamental structural works that will last for decades to come. Most roads are not macadamised so water remains on the surface, thus leading to erosion and numerous potholes. How will CHEC address this?
"Our investigations reveal that there is very little drainage of Jamaican roads. Also the top structure is too thin and the materials used are inadequate. We have indicated to the Jamaican government that the quality has to be guaranteed. This will make road repair less expensive in Jamaica and reduce the perpetual patching of the roads. Quality control is desperately needed. We will be working on the road infrastructure in conjunction with engineers from the National Works Agency (NWA). The JDIP will improve the roads and make them more durable. Jamaican roads will be better than they have ever been before. The programme will endure for about four years but we may well be here for an additional five years after that," said Tang.
Jamaica is CHEC's regional hub and from here it oversees projects across 14 countries in the region.
The Palisadoes Road
For decades rising sea levels have threatened the viability of the Palisadoes Road
which leads to the city's main airport, The Norman Manley International Airport.
According to the Marine Geology Unit of the University of the West Indies, the integrity
of this causeway is threatened firstly by fears of the effects of future storms like
Ivan blocking or even cutting the road and thus preventing access. Secondly, is the
prospect of flooding and submergence due to rising sea levels. A paper written by
the University of the West Indies entitled, "The Palisadoes: Safe Access to the Airport?
reads: "The active beaches along the south side of Palisadoes will probably cope
with rising sea level because they are supplied with new sediment from the rivers
to the east. However, excessive sand and gravel extraction from the river beds could
rob the beaches of part of their source of sediment, so there is the possibility
that such supplies will not be available in sufficient quantities to maintain the
integrity of the Palisadoes in the future. Well-
"The same cannot be said for man-
CHEC will be looking to remedy this problem by constructing a two-
Speaking about the Palisadoes Road project Tang explained: "Here we want to create the maximum benefit to the local community, its residents and people using the airport. A local contractor will also be working on this project and it should provide many jobs for Jamaicans, particularly those living in the surrounding areas. Eighty per cent of the cost of the project is earmarked for materials, and the intention is to purchase as much as possible locally. This project should be completed by August of next year."
Rio Grande
CHEC is renowned for the construction of bridges and it will be bringing its considerable
expertise to the Rio Grande bridge in Portland. The Rio Grande Bridge Project is
the largest to be undertaken by CHEC under the JDIP. Here the task is to build a
new 213-
Tang added: "Our team from China is working day and night on this project, seven days a week. That is the way we work in order to get the job done. We do not demand that Jamaican workers do the same."
The region
This intrepid construction company has set up a Latin America subsidiary which includes the Caribbean. CHEC Latin America began operations in the region in 2002 with its first project in Panama. Today it has offices and projects in Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Panama and Jamaica. Closer to home CHEC has also landed projects in the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.
In November 2002 it undertook the Port of Balboa Container Terminal Development Phase 3 in Panama which was completed in two years at a cost of US$102.5 million. This involved the design and construction of a Design and Construct 272m x 48M quay deck with piled foundation, 1.1 million cubic metres dredging for the reclamation and basin area and reclamation of 7.5ha constructing 200mm of retaining structure.
Three years later it worked on the Energia Costa Azul LNG Terminal in Mexico which involved the Design and Construction of the 660m long breakwater, 25m deep in water 500m offshore. Dredging work included maintenance dredging work in Coatzacoalcos Port and channel straightening works for Topolobampo Port. This project cost US$161.3 million.
In June of this year, the Prime Minister of the Cayman Islands signed an agreement with CHEC that sees the Chinese company building a cruise ship port in the capital of George Town. It will also be partaking in sea port construction work in The Bahamas. That contract is earmarked to begin in December of this year. CHEC has a team in Buenos Aires currently looking for other opportunities in Argentina. It is also scouting for contracts in Brazil and Guyana.
"We are actively seeking opportunities in this region and hopefully we can play a role in its infrastructural development. Jamaica is our regional hub and we feel very comfortable here.
The Chinese work ethic
The Chinese are well known for their work ethic and with CHEC likely to be in Jamaica for about a decade it is hoped that some of it will rub off on Jamaican workers engaging on projects involving CHEC. Can Tang foresee this happening?
He chuckles heartily: "Hopefully that can happen but we do not demand this from Jamaican workers, after all we come from two distinct cultures. Let us not forget that Jamaican workers are here at home and have their families to take care of. They also have many issues to tackle. Our guys are far from home and live in a camp. Their main task is to work and complete the job. So you see, it is different conditions."
The regional boss added that CHEC has plans to invite Jamaicans to join its training programmes. Right now most of the programmes are for engineers but Tang would like to create programmes for other skilled and unskilled construction workers. "This will allow many Jamaican workers to learn some skill. We are in the process of contacting all the training agencies in Jamaica, particularly HEART.
"We see a time where young Jamaican engineers can come and work in China and on other CHEC projects throughout the world. On the other hand we can send our engineers to work on Jamaican projects and learn how you do things and learn a little more about your construction culture," declared Tang.
Turning his attention to what Jamaica can expect from CHEC, its man here said that it was selected by the government to undertake these two projects and it will be doing so to the best of its considerable abilities. Its intention is to put in place engineering feats that will stand the test of time.
"We have been doing engineering construction projects around the world for nearly
30 years and this is what we bring to Jamaica. We have the know-
How long will CHEC roads last in Jamaica?
Most of Jamaica's roads were constructed by the British and many have stood the test of time. Successive governments have failed to implement a comprehensive roadworks programme and simply end up patching up roadways, particularly during election time. In effect these patch jobs are temporary measures and the process is repeated ad infinitum. The question is how will the government address its infrastructure problems in the 21st century? Will CHEC be able to reverse this idiotic habit which sees many roads in a permanent state of disrepair? Will these CHEC roadworks last for generations to come?
"We cannot expect these roads to last for generations, but I can guarantee that the Rio Grande project and the one in Christiana will always be there. Repairing these roads will not see them lasting for 50 years, more like 15 to 20 years, no problem. After that they will need repair, particularly when you use asphalt for the top surface. The important matter here is the quality of the construction and the design requirement. If the design life is for 50 years there is no guarantee that it will last 70 years. But I must say for roadworks you don't need a design life of 50 years."
Speaking with Caribbean Business Report from Boston, Emory Hatcher, a road engineer
with Jacobs Engineering who was a senior consultant with the Clark Group said: "Bituminous
roads require regular routine maintenance and periodic maintenance normally at five-
"Asphalt roads wear more than concrete roads, but many countries are replacing concrete
roads with asphalt because it is cheaper, despite concrete roads having some advantages.
These advantages tend to be their durability, and they are can be maintenance-
Jacobs Engineering is a publicly traded company with annual revenues exceeding US$11 billion with more than 46,000 employees and more than 160 offices in more than 20 countries.
Tang continued, "Cement concrete roads tend to last longer than those with asphalt
top surfaces. The base and sub-
Things to Do in JAMAICA
Come on and find your holiday rhythm
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