NaRRA to address flooding in St. James as drainage study proceeds

 Minister with responsibility for Works, Robert Nesta Morgan, has announced that a variation has been made to the contract for the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project to include a drainage study of the Montego Bay region, which will be presented to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Minister Morgan shared the update yesterday during a tour of the SPARK roadworks in St. James, the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project, and the ongoing Over River Bridge restoration works.

The newly formed National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) will implement a dedicated drainage project to mitigate severe flooding in St. James. The intervention will be directly guided by an extensive hydrological study currently being conducted under the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project.

According to Minister Morgan, the drainage study is on track to be presented to the Prime Minister by December. He clarified that while the assessment is being executed under the umbrella of the perimeter road project, the resulting drainage infrastructure works will be independently managed and implemented by NaRRA.

“We recognise the immense hardship that flooding causes for both residents and businesses across St. James. Through NaRRA, we are actively working toward lasting solutions. This drainage study is a critical step in ensuring that our physical interventions are grounded in rigorous technical assessments,” Minister Morgan stated.

The Minister emphasised that resilient drainage systems must remain central to national infrastructure planning, particularly in areas where recurrent flooding threatens homes, disrupts structural access, and severely degrades roadways. He noted that the study’s findings will provide an analytical blueprint for the specific engineering works required to resolve these localised challenges.

“Our immediate focus is on reducing vulnerability within these communities and enhancing their capacity to withstand severe weather events. To achieve that, we must fully diagnose the root causes of the drainage failures and ensure that our engineered responses directly solve them,” he added.

Minister Morgan further observed that the Government’s multi-billion-dollar investments in roads and public assets must be paired with modern water management systems to protect both the structural integrity of the infrastructure and the citizens who rely on it daily.

He reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to addressing the flooding crisis in St. James through a highly coordinated, multi-agency approach, with NaRRA anchoring the development of a more resilient parish.