Building Services
The Roads & Works issues building permits for all types of structures, both residential and commercial. We also conduct inspections and enforce building regulations. Please click here for Building Services Procedures.
Parochial Roads
The Saint James Parish Council has the exclusive care, management and control of all parochial roads in the parish.
IMPORTANT: The Parish Council is NOT responsible for the maintenance of main highways or primary roads.
In Montego Bay, some of these roads include: Queen’s Drive, Sunset Avenue, St. James Street, Creek Street, Humber Avenue, Cottage Road, Barnett Street, Howard Cooke Boulevard and Alice Eldermire Drive. These facilities are the responsibility of the National Works Agency (NWA).
Funding
The financing and execution of contracts for road construction is directed under the Parochial Revenue Fund. Road construction may also be executed under the Social and Economic Support Programme, the Jamaica Bauxite Institute, or any other agency with capital available for the development of roads. The method of allocation for road repairs varies from parish to parish. To maintain one kilometer of roadway costs $3.1 million. The parish of St. James has 1200 km. The Roads & Works department receives about $1.8 million per month to maintain roads. Top priority roads are identified by each Councillor, who receives an allocation of $350,000 every six months for this purpose.
Twenty (20) percent of the money allocated to roads under the Parochial Revenue Fund is held back for emergency purposes. Other funding is derived from the Vehicles and Licenses fees.
Road Repair Schedule
After consulting with residents in their Division, Councillors recommend a list of roads to be repaired in their Divisions over their term of office. The Roads & Works Department assesses the requirements and cost.
Priorities are determined on an ongoing basis through discussions involving Roads and Works Department staff, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD), individual Council members and the Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Committee and depend in large part on the amount of money allocated by the MLGCD.
After Ministry approval, a contractor is selected for each project. Contractors are selected from a registered list of approved contractors. If the project value is over $500,000, the project is put out to tender. If the project value is over $4 million, the project is referred to the National Contracts Commission and it administers the tender process. Projects over $100,000 are to be posted on the SJPC website.
Guidelines for awarding contracts are set by the National Contracts Commission. The Infrastructure Development and Maintenance Committee approves all proposed contracts.
Subdivision Roads
Who has responsibility for subdivision roads? The St. James Parish Council accepts new subdivision roads from developers only after the roads have passed certain standards. All developers, including the Government, are legally responsible to bring their roads up to these standards. In order to accept new roads the Parish Council conducts an inspection; if the Council is not satisfied, we will not take it over. Unfortunately, in the past, it has happened that developers did not perform their obligations and were allowed to issue title before their roads were up to scratch. This is an island-wide problem, and has resulted in no-one taking responsibility for certain roads.
Gullies
The Parish Council is responsible for cleaning and maintaining drains and gullies which surround parochial roads, in addition to various other gullies. We are not responsible for gullies surrounding main highways or primary roads. Please see Parochial Roads above for further information.
IMPORTANT: The Parish Council is NOT responsible for the cleanliness and maintenance of major gullies. In Montego Bay, this includes both the South and North Gullies. These facilities are the responsibility of the National
Works Agency.
Minor Water Supplies
The Department is responsible for minor water supplies operated in smaller settlements and rural areas where there is no piped water supply. Activities include supervision and maintenance of minor water supplies throughout the parish. Facilities consist of seven entombment springs and associated standpipe systems, six catchment tanks, 10 wayside tanks, and a number of small tributaries. Tanks are served by the parish water truck.
IMPORTANT: Major water supply, such as pipelines, reservoirs and dams are the responsibility of the National Water Commission.
Public Amenities
The Department is responsible for the proper maintenance of all public sanitary conveniences, abattoirs, cemeteries, and of all parks, median strips and green verges under the responsibility of the Parish Council.
Transportation
It is the responsibility of the Roads & Works Department to ensure that all traffic signs and lights are properly maintained and functional for all parochial roads, and that all markings and directional signs are in place. Another government agency with traffic management responsibility is the Transport Authority.