Minister with responsibility for Works in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development,  Robert Nesta Morgan, has challenged Opposition Leader Mark Golding to substantiate his assertion that Jamaica’s roads are the worst they have been in his lifetime, describing the assessment as political exaggeration. 

Responding to remarks at the People’s National Party’s 88th Annual Conference, Minister Morgan said the debate must acknowledge both the road conditions affecting Jamaicans and the work being undertaken to address them. 

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, Jamaica’s road quality ranking climbed from number 85 (2012–2014) to its highest historical ranking of 57th out of 137 countries under this administration following targeted capital works. This directly contradicts the statement of the PNP President.

Official records have also corroborated the WEF report in Ministry Paper 63 (The National Security Policy for Jamaica 2013); tabled by a PNP Cabinet of which Mr. Golding was a senior member; which explicitly labelled Jamaica’s road network as “one of the worst road networks in the world”, noting that only 10% of roads were in good condition. 

The data is consistent and clear as to the condition of Jamaica’s road network and what has not worked in the past. As a result, we have devised a targeted approach and have invested billions to ensure that we improve the condition of our roads and deliver value for the taxpayers. 

Morgan noted that Golding’s own constituency of South St. Andrew is included in SPARK and has received unprecedented allocations to fix long-standing road, sewage and water infrastructure issues.

The Minister used the opportunity to highlight the billions allocated to Road Rehabilitation under the Spark Programme, the GO Road Rehabilitation Program and REACH Programme recently.

“The record of this administration on infrastructure is clear, structured, and transparent,” Minister Morgan stated. “To claim that road conditions are at their worst is a complete distortion of reality when the Government is executing the single largest targeted road rehabilitation investment in Jamaica’s history.”