The successful completion of the first leg (Mount Rosser Bypass) of the North-South Highway landed China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) with the prestigious 2014 Jamaica Institution of Engineers (JIE) Award.

This is the second consecutive year that the company has been chosen as the JIE's top recipient. The project was chosen by the JIE because of the significant engineering feats that were overcome when compared to the other two entrants, the Lasco Manufacturing Expansion Project and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) Maggotty Hydro Power Plant 6.4W Project.

Last year, the company was also selected as the winner of the award for its work on the Westmoreland Bridge, connecting the towns of Richmond, Highgate and others to the Junction Road in Georgia, St Mary.

All sections of the Mount Rosser Bypass had been completed with the exception of 5km, an area where work had been suspended by the previous contractor, due to poor geological conditions and unstable slopes. This landscape is composed of a noticeable transition of three different types of unstable embankment material including shale, limestone and hard igneous rock.

The US$700-million North-South Highway Project is the result of an agreement between the Government of Jamaica and CHEC and was negotiated on a Build-Operate-and-Transfer model. The key features of the highway include four lanes with an average speed limit of 80km per hour, a dual carriageway, as well as a toll plaza and service area. Lands along the highway are being considered for housing and tourism-related initiatives.