Project Name: North–South Highway Project -Jamaica
Host Country: Jamaica
Project Duration: January 2013 – Present
Project specification:
North–South Highway Project in Jamaica is cooperation between the Jamaican government and CCC through investment promotion, invested by China Communications Construction Group (CCC) and constructed by China Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. (CHEC). The highway project constructed with BOT+EPC mode has a total length of 66.13km. This length starts from the Cayman Economic Zone and ending at Mammee Bay, which runs through the central mountainous area thus connecting the north and south coasts with the sum total investment project worth 734 million US dollars.
This project adopted the dual 4-lane standard construction, with a design speed of 80KM/h (60 KM/h in some mountain sections), including 9.17 million m3 of Subgrade Earthwork and 17 bridges (9 trunk road bridges of 597m and 8 overpasses of 248m), 159 culverts, 1 management, and maintenance center, 6 toll gate stations, and 1 highway service station.
Through five years of hard work, China and Jamaica have completed the whole highway project from commercial negotiation, signing of a franchise agreement, completion, and handover of the middle section to the opening of the whole highway. The special period of the construction commenced on January 28th, 2013, and completed on March 23rd, 2016, which took more than three years. The opening ceremony was held on March 23rd, 2016, and the charging of the whole highway was put into operation at 0:00am on March 24th with the operation period is 50 years under the franchise agreement.
Characteristics and Significance of the Project:
As the first overseas BOT highway project in for China, the North-South Highway Project in Jamaica is a successful example of economic and trade cooperation and the crystallization of the partnership between China and Jamaica. The Chinese company, and the government of Jamaica as well as the employees of China and Jamaica, also constitutes an important milestone for the sustained and in-depth development of bilateral relations.
Simpson Miller, then Prime Minister of Jamaica, was not only frequently concerned about the progress of the project, but also visited the construction site for inspection and guidance on many occasions. Appraising the project on different occasions, the Prime Minister commends the significance to the economic and social development of Jamaica. These commendations in the construction process always emphasized the adherence to the concept of win-win cooperation and common development; holding various training courses improving the skills of local personnel, and guaranteeing the employment of residents to the maximum level.
“It seems like a road to innovation and cooperation, a road to development and friendship. We believe it will be as smooth as the North-South Highway for the friendly partnership oriented to the mutual development of China and Jamaica” Prime Minister.