KINGSTON, Jamaica — A sitting Jamaican member of parliament has launched a scathing rebuke of the national government’s flagship road improvement initiative, accusing the administration of failing to deliver critical infrastructure upgrades to his coastal constituency, leaving thousands of residents trapped in a cycle of unsafe and impassable road conditions.
Kenneth Russell, who represents St Ann South East, laid out his damning indictment of the Shared Prosperity Through Accelerated Improvement to Our Road Network (SPARK) Programme during a dedicated press briefing Tuesday, branded “Uncovering the Facts on the SPARK Road Programme”. The event was organized to draw public and government attention to what Russell calls systemic failure and disrespect for local communities.
First launched to align with the Jamaican government’s broader economic growth and inclusive social development targets, SPARK organizes national infrastructure upgrades into four large-scale construction packages designed to overhaul the island’s aging road network. For St Ann South East, nine roads were formally added to the SPARK project roster with a total projected investment of $2.3 billion. But according to Russell, only $315 million – less than 15% of the required funding – has been allocated to date, with just three of the nine roads marked for any work. Shockingly, only one of those three projects has broken ground, while the remaining two have been given at least six separate announced start dates that have all come and gone with no construction activity whatsoever.
The constituency faces uniquely pressing infrastructure needs: Russell reports St Ann South East has roughly 225 kilometers of roads managed by Jamaica’s National Works Agency, more than any other parliamentary constituency in the country, with 80% of that network assessed as needing full rehabilitation. Decades of underinvestment have left almost no stretch of road in the area free of damaging potholes, according to the MP, and many communities face daily life-threatening hazards that disrupt access to work, school, and emergency services.
Russell pointed to Johnny Spring Road in Higgin Town as a prime example of the government’s broken promises. “There was a promise sold to the country that under SPARK, this road would be rehabilitated. They were given dates before the hurricane and since the hurricane, we have had not just one or two, not three…[but] at least six start dates,” he said, noting that every deadline has passed without any official explanation for the delays to local residents.
This pattern of unmet commitments has left local communities increasingly frustrated, a sentiment Russell says amounts to “the height of disrespect” for constituents who rely on functional roads for their daily livelihoods. Poor conditions affect communities across the constituency, including Dunnsville, White Hall, and Nine Mile, where residents report major difficulties entering and exiting their neighborhoods. Russell also highlighted the road adjacent to Golden Grove Primary School, calling it one of the most dangerous stretches in the area: “When it rains, it’s treacherous,” he said.
Beyond potholes and surface damage, Russell warned that several sections of road in White Hall and Nine Mile are at risk of complete breakaway, and that urgent intervention is required to prevent fatal accidents. “I would hate if it would have to come to someone losing their lives for action to be taken,” he emphasized.
Even if the government completes all nine SPARK projects currently allocated for St Ann South East, Russell added, the upgrades would only address less than 40% of the constituency’s NWA-managed road network, leaving the majority of the area’s infrastructure still in dire need of repair. The criticism puts renewed pressure on the Jamaican government to address funding gaps and delivery delays in its signature infrastructure programme, as opposition from local representatives grows over unfulfilled campaign and policy commitments.