$370 million Drax Hall to Llandovery Pipeline Project
Commissioned into service

Several communities in St. Ann, are now benefitting from the $370 million Drax Hall to Llandovery Pipeline Project, part of the overall Runaway Bay to Mammee Bay Pipeline System, which was commissioned into service on Wednesday (August 13, 2025).

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony in St. Ann’s Bay, following a tour of several water projects in St. Ann, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda, noted that the upgraded pipeline would facilitate developments along the corridor.

“When you see an investment of over $370 million  we expect the business community to respond with corresponding investments along this corridor and we’re not asking them to do it for charity, we’re asking them to do it for the profit that will come from the nearly seven thousand homes that we expect  to be built, between Drax Hall and indeed Runaway Bay”, he stated.

Minister Samuda added that the project is not unique as the Government is investing $22 billion in water and sanitation this year and is ensuring that Vision 2030 “comes to life”.

“Vision 2030 cannot (just) be a document.  It must be water in a pipe, it must be good roads, It must be data connectivity. It must be good electricity, it must be good health, it must be good schools and that can only happen with a good economy”.

Meanwhile in his keynote address, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr Horace Chang, stated that the Government is taking the necessary steps to ensure the development of the North Coast, adding that it is committed to an adequate and interconnected water supply for the corridor.

“We are committed to ensuring that the connection all the way from Roaring River in Westmoreland  that will go to Negril; link back to Logwood in Hanover; link back to Great River at the other end of Hanover and St. James; link back to Martha Brae in Trelawny into Bogue in  St Ann  and into White River and possibly further along the coast,  that we can have interconnectivity in the water supply  and if a problem arises, you can in fact shift from one (system) to the other easily.  That is the vision of a Government that thinks about what it is doing and cares about the people”, he stated.

The Runaway Bay to Mamee Bay Pipeline Project is a major infrastructure initiative by the National Water Commission (NWC) aimed at strengthening water supply along the North Coast corridor.

Work on the project includes the installation of 7.6 km of 300mm pipelines, which will deliver an additional 2.0 million gallons per day, to meet the medium-term water demand of the area.

The project will serve the communities of St Ann’s Bay, Priory, Plantation Cove, and surrounding communities, as well as the Seacrest Beach Resort, Plantation Cove, Chukka Cove and Cliffs and the Paradisiac, housing development.

Other projects visited in St. Ann on Wednesday, include the $125 million Walkerswood to Breadnut Hill Pipeline Upgrading Project; the $24 million Shaw Park Heights (Lime Bottom) Water Supply Project; as well as the $65 million Davis Town Water Supply Rehabilitation Project.