$350 million allocated to complete Montego Bay waterfront project

The budget proposed for the upcoming financial year includes $350 million for the Montego Bay Waterfront Protection Project, which is expected to be completed in 2026.

The project’s main objective is to rehabilitate the Montego Bay groynes to reduce the loss of beachfront acreage to coastal erosion and protect valuable coastal resources along the city’s waterfront. Protecting the marine ecosystem in the area is also a key priority.

A groyne is a low wall or sturdy barrier built out from the coast into the sea to control erosion.

An assessment conducted in December 2024 indicated that the northern groynes had been completed, while the southern groynes were 29 per cent complete.

Programmed targets for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, which will start on April 1, include the completion of the waterfront protection structure at the southern groynes and a wall revetment at the North Gully.

Work will also be undertaken to repair damage to the northern groynes resulting from weather events in February 2024.

It is being implemented by the state-owned Urban Development Corporation.

The project, which got under way in 2019, is scheduled to be completed by March 2026. The total estimated project cost is $816 million. It was last expected to be completed in March 2023 following an extension.

Lawmakers will start a debate on the proposed budget on March 11.

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