Islandwide initiative targets road repairs, drain desilting, verge clearing, and sanitation ahead of the festive season.

The Government of Jamaica has allocated $19 million to each of the nation’s 63 constituencies under the December 2026 Constituency Mitigation Programme. Announced on Tuesday October 6th in Parliament by the Minister with Responsibility for Works, Hon. Robert Morgan, the targeted infrastructure drive will undertake urgent road repairs, drain desilting, de-bushing, beautification, and municipal sanitation across the island.

Timed for the conclusion of the hurricane season and the approach of the Christmas period, the programme directly addresses everyday community conditions that affect residents’ mobility, safety, and health.

“When a road deteriorates, transport becomes more difficult and more expensive. When vegetation obstructs a walkway or a driver’s view, safety is compromised. When a drain becomes blocked, rainfall can put homes, businesses, and access routes at risk,” Minister Morgan stated during his parliamentary presentation.

Targeted Allocation Breakdown

Standard constituency allocations are structured across four core operational categories:

$10 Million – Road Repair & Rehabilitation:  Dedicated to localised pothole patching in communities and housing schemes, re-sheeting, and minor surface repairs. Works must be executed in tranches of $5 million or more, with at least 50 per cent focused on main corridors.

Members may reallocate up to $5 million from other eligible components into this category, bringing the maximum road repair ceiling to $15 million.

$4 Million – De-Bushing & Verge Maintenance:  Focused on clearing dense overgrowth along roadways, pathways, sidewalks, medians, and gully banks where overgrown vegetation impedes movement or poses a security risk. A maximum of $2 million may be transferred to road or drain works, leaving a mandatory minimum of $2 million for de-bushing.

$2 Million – Drain Cleaning and Desilting: Covers desilting earth and paved drains, alongside minor repairs to inverts, walls, culverts, grilles, and covers. A maximum of $1 million may be reallocated, retaining at least $1 million for drainage works.

$3 Million – Beautification & Sanitation: Managed directly by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) for municipal and bulky waste collection, trucking to approved sites, and public space sanitisation. This allocation is non-transferable.

Implementation, Governance, and Continuity

Physical road repairs, de-bushing, and drainage tasks will be executed by the National Works Agency (NWA), while the NSWMA oversees beautification and sanitation. Members of Parliament are required to collaborate with implementing agencies to prioritise work based on ground-level assessments.