Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Robert Nesta Morgan, says the National Works Agency (NWA) continues to make strong progress in restoring critical road corridors across western Jamaica following the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Speaking at a special press briefing on Monday, November 3, 2025, Minister Morgan, who holds responsibility for the Works Portfolio, confirmed that the Agency has been highly effective in reopening vital routes to enable the safe movement of relief supplies and essential goods.
“Our main priority is providing a corridor for persons to be able to bring relief supplies especially to the western parishes that have been severely impacted. We have been extremely successful in creating that corridor. We now have a good corridor from the border of St. Elizabeth, all the way to Savanna La Mar and we have a corridor from St. James coming through St. Ann, Trelawny all the way to Savanna La Mar on the other side” the Minister said.
Minister Morgan explained that initial efforts were concentrated on establishing single-lane access to affected communities, which was later expanded to two lanes in several key areas due to increased vehicular movement.
“Traffic volumes tripled within 24 hours as residents, relief agencies, and support teams mobilised. This led to congestion in locations such as the Bog Walk Gorge and sections of Westmoreland, particularly near Ferris. We then decided that we had to expand the corridor to create two-lane access. Our teams responded swiftly to widen sections of the corridor, restoring safer and more efficient travel,” he stated.
A major operational priority has been ensuring that heavy-duty and logistics vehicles, including fuel and supply trucks, can traverse the full network. The Minister reported that since Sunday, November 2, several blockages have been cleared to allow these vehicles to deliver much-needed resources to communities and service stations.
Minister Morgan noted that over 100 contractors, equipment operators, and technical personnel are currently engaged in clearance and restoration work across multiple parishes, including Trelawny, St. James, Manchester, Clarendon, St. Thomas, Portland, and St. Mary.
The Ministry of Economic Growth and Infrastructure Development continues to coordinate closely with the NWA, municipal corporations, and emergency management agencies to restore full connectivity across the national road network and support the broader recovery effort.