May 6, 2009

Jamaica North Coast Highway wins Award - Improved roadway improves tourism, reduces traveling time

MUSCATINE, Iowa - The North Coast Highway was awarded the top overall prize (Grand Conceptor) at the annual Engineering Excellence Awards banquet sponsored by the Iowa Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies. The project also won the top award for the competition’s transportation category at the banquet held in Des Moines, Iowa on May 6. The annual design competition ranks projects based on five categories: innovation; future value to the engineering profession; social, economic and sustainable design; complexity; and exceeding client needs.

Now that the formerly narrow, windy, pothole ridden North Coast Highway has been redesigned and reconstructed, tourists and locals can easily and safely travel from Montego Bay to Negril on the island’s west end and to Ocho Rios. The two-lane asphalt highway is 168 miles long with asphalt shoulders and a drainage system to prevent flooding that previously plagued the roadway during heavy rains. New bridges along the route were constructed to withstand earthquakes.

The highway has been undergoing a transformation for nearly a decade. Since its initial construction in the ‘60s and ‘70s, lack of maintenance on the road had led to serious deficiencies in safety, pavement structure and drainage. It is the country’s only arterial highway connecting major cities on the country’s east and west coasts. The deteriorating and unsafe conditions of the North Coast Highway were preventing Jamaica from realizing the country’s maximum tourism potential.

The Government of Jamaica contracted with the engineering firm of Stanley Consultants to redesign the highway and provide construction management services. In order to boost the country’s economy during construction, local contractors and workers were employed. The two segment, $135 million project took nearly a decade to complete.

Jamaica is the third largest island in the Caribbean. Located 90 miles south of Cuba, the island is 180 miles long and averages 40 miles wide, with a population of 2.8 million. The country exports sugar, bananas and bauxite but tourism is its primary economic force.

The North Coast Highway has improved economic development by providing tourists with access to existing resorts, and has spurred development of additional resorts. "Already we have seen significant tourism investments that have created employment and improved social development along the highway corridor," said Prime Minister Rt. Rt. Hon Portia Simpson Miller. Annual revenue from all hotel operations has reached $150 million. Since the project began, over 1350 new hotel rooms have been added and 1300 new jobs created.

The commuting time from Negril to Ocho Rios has dropped from four hours to three hours. A convenience to tourists, this also equates to more opportunity for revenue for taxi and bus drivers, and an easier and faster way to move goods.

Stanley Consultants, Inc., a Stanley Group Company, provides engineering, environmental, and construction services worldwide. Offices are located in Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines, Muscatine, and Iowa City, Iowa; Las Vegas, Nevada; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Naples and West Palm Beach, Florida; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, as well as select international locations. Since 1913, The Stanley Group has successfully completed more than 23,000 engagements in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and in 98 countries.