One Road Authority is not enough

THE EDITOR, Madam:
The debate over Jamaica’s deteriorating roads risks reducing a complex problem to a simple institutional fix. A One Road Authority may improve coordination and accountability, but Jamaica’s road crisis is not primarily about ownership. The deeper problem is a weak road-maintenance system encompassing planning, funding, design, procurement, construction, supervision, quality control and accountability.
Jamaica’s road network is fragmented. The National Works Agency manages approximately 5,286 kilometres of main roads, while local authorities oversee nearly 9,962 kilometres of parochial roads. Although this division creates challenges, the roads would continue to deteriorate under a single authority if maintenance systems remain inadequate.
This is not Jamaica’s first attempt at centralisation. During the 1980s, road responsibilities became increasingly concentrated in central government following reforms that reduced local government functions and technical capacity. The lesson is straightforward: transferring responsibility does not automatically produce better outcomes.
The auditor general’s 2020 audit of parochial-road management highlighted weak planning, inadequate monitoring, poor road inventories, and weak links between budgets and maintenance priorities. These shortcomings point to the absence of a disciplined asset-management system rather than a simple governance problem.
Roads should be treated as national assets, not political projects. Maintenance is often reactive and postponed until costly rehabilitation becomes necessary. Preventive maintenance, regular condition surveys and lifecycle planning receive far less attention than new construction announcements.
Predictable financing is equally important. Jamaica once operated a Road Maintenance Fund, but the repeal of the Road Maintenance Fund Act in 2017 shifted funding back into the annual budget process. Effective road management requires reliable, protected funding tied to objective road-condition data, rather than public pressure or emergency responses.
Contractor performance, technical standards and quality assurance also require strengthening. Poor workmanship often begins below the road surface through inadequate drainage, weak base materials, poor compaction or insufficient testing. Without rigorous supervision and independent quality checks, road failures will persist.
A One Road Authority may be useful, but only as part of broader technical reform. Jamaica needs a national road register, regular condition surveys, updated standards, contractor performance monitoring, quality audits, and protected maintenance funding. The real test is not whether one organisation manages the roads, but whether every kilometre is properly planned, funded, maintained and monitored.

ZACHARY ANDERSON
Civil Engineer