Jamaica’s Minister with responsibility for works, Robert Morgan, has dismissed mounting criticisms from Kingston Mayor Andrew Swaby and other local government representatives regarding the proposed One Road Authority initiative, characterizing their objections as fundamentally misguided and premature.
In an exclusive Wednesday interview with the Jamaica Observer, Minister Morgan emphasized that while dissent remains welcome, it should be grounded in the practical realities confronting a significant segment of the Jamaican populace. He firmly rejected assertions that the initiative seeks to undermine local governance or strip municipal bodies of their road networks, clarifying instead that its primary objectives revolve around standardization, coordination, and regulatory oversight.
Morgan elaborated that the proposed authority will not transfer all road management responsibilities to the central government. Rather, it aims to establish definitive criteria for road categorization—a project currently being developed in collaboration with the World Bank. This reclassification is deemed essential, given that Jamaica’s Main Roads Act of 1932, last amended in 1985, no longer adequately reflects the nation’s evolved infrastructure landscape.
A cornerstone of the initiative involves publishing detailed information for every road island-wide—specifying the responsible agency, current condition, and scheduled maintenance timelines—regardless of whether the road is managed by private developers, municipal corporations, or the National Works Agency (NWA). This transparency, Morgan argued, will resolve public confusion over accountability while ensuring uniform construction and maintenance standards.
Furthermore, Morgan contended that the One Road Authority would empower, rather than weaken, municipal bodies by providing them enhanced mechanisms to hold parties accountable for road damage, including cement trucks and illegal dumping. He announced planned discussions with Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie and Mayor Swaby to align perspectives, expressing confidence that upon reviewing the proposal’s details, critics would recognize its potential to improve citizen services.
The Minister also addressed concerns about resource allocation, noting that the reclassification process would alleviate burdens on local authorities currently managing roads that have outgrown their original community-based purpose and now function as national thoroughfares. He framed the choice facing stakeholders as one between perpetual jurisdictional disputes and tangible infrastructure solutions.
These statements come in response to renewed criticisms from local officials, including Mayor Swaby’s address to the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation on Tuesday. Swaby maintained that local authorities should not be penalized for centrally underfunded road repairs and warned that full nationalization could distance residents from accountable representatives.