Works Minister Robert Morgan says the Government is currently designing a new entrance to Portmore in St Catherine.

The minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation with responsibility for works disclosed that the project aims to ease traffic congestion for motorists exiting Mandela Highway to enter the municipality.

“So, you see that ‘parking lot’ on Mandela Highway in the evenings, because of the bottleneck right there at the entrance to Portmore, we are going to fix that. We’re in the design stage, about to go to the Public Investment [Appraisal] Branch to start building the new entrance to Portmore in the next financial year,” Morgan said.

He made the announcement while providing an update on government projects under the Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) Programme during his address at the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly meeting at Cecil’s Restaurant in Spanish Town last Wednesday (April 30).

Minister Morgan also informed that the J$1 billion dualisation project being carried out on Grange Lane in Portmore is expected to be completed by June.

Expansion work will also begin during the month on Braeton Road to a section of Hellshire Main Road in the municipality. Cabinet approved the project’s implementation at a cost of J$2.4 billion.

Meanwhile, Morgan informed that rehabilitative work slated for Sandy Gully in Kingston will be carried out once the Government completes its study of the waterway.

“We’re doing a study now to rehabilitate the Sandy Gully and its tributaries. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that it’s only the Sandy Gully, that stretch from up in Mannings Hill [Road] going all the way down. No, the Sandy Gully has a lot of tributaries, which are also in need of repairs,” he pointed out.

The minister indicated that expansion work is also planned for Arthur Wint Drive, Lady Musgrave Road and East King’s House Road in Kingston.

Meanwhile, Morgan advised that approximately 10 per cent of work on the Spring Village Bridge replacement project has been completed.

Plans to replace the bridge were initiated after it was compromised in 2023. The new structure is being built at a cost of J$249 million.