China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has awarded six engineering scholarships to students in Jamaica as it completes a $730 highway project— with similar plans underway to impact the North Abaco community.
Regional Director of CHEC Americas, Mr. Zhongdong Tang said his company wanted to show, in a concrete way, just how much faith CHEC has in Jamaica’s government and its people.
“I am very pleased to announce that China Harbour is granting six engineering scholarships to Jamaican students,” Mr. Tang. “They will attend Hohai University in China.
“These scholarships express CHEC’s continued commitment to and confidence in Jamaica and is our way of saying thanks for a wonderful partnership.”
CHEC Bahamas Principal Felix Chang said the company remained committed to the plans to execute its community outreach program as the North Abaco Port Project continues.
“We are now in discussions with community leaders in Abaco on where our efforts could be greatly maximized,” he said.
His comments come as Jamaica’s infrastructure got a major boost when the Linstead to Moneague segment of the North/South Highway, also known as Highway 2000, was officially opened by Prime Minister the Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller in a ceremony attended by several stakeholders.
The North South Highway project is the result of a friendly agreement between the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) and China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Americas-Division and was negotiated on a Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT) model.
Among the highway’s key features are four lanes with an average speed limit of 80km per hour, a dual carriageway, as well as a toll plaza and service area. Plans are afoot to further develop the lands along the highway for housing and tourism.
The highway serves as a landmark occasion as it is the first time that Asian construction techniques including top-to-bottom tile “pile” works, anchor rod/cable beam frames and gravity retaining walls are being used in any major project of this kind in Jamaica.
These construction strategies were used to combat the geotechnical challenges faced when constructing a highway in a mountainous terrain.
The landscape is composed of a noticeable transition of three different types of unstable embankment material including shale and limestone. These are all present within short distances of approximately one kilometre.
