ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – The National Water Commission (NWC) officially broke ground Thursday on a $148 million Santa Cruz By-pass Mains Replacement Project in St Elizabeth, marking the latest phase of the broader Santa Cruz Water Supply Improvement Programme.

The project will replace the ageing three-inch cast iron pipeline installed over fifty years ago with a durable six-inch ductile iron pipeline.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, was on site for the upgrade, which is billed to significantly enhance flow consistency, system integrity, and water pressure for approximately 1,200 customers — equivalent to 300 households — across the Santa Cruz By-pass and adjoining communities, including New River, Brighton, Friendship Street, Doctor Rock, and surrounding areas.