HALF WAY TREE BUS PARK COMING

From left to right:Minister Robert Pickersgill, Mr. Tore Larsen, Manging Director, JUTC and Permanent Secretary, Dr. Alwin Hales.

The Half-Way-Tree Bus Park is one step closer to reality as Minister Robert Pickersgill signed a contract for the demolition of the old Odeon Cinema in Half-Way-Tree on Wednesday, February 18, 2004 on the compound of the Odeon lands. The razing of the old cinema will make way for the Bus Park and ultimately the Transport Centre.

Minister Pickersgill raises the sledgehammer to strike the steps of the old Odeon cinema to signal the start of the demolition of the Odeon building.

The demolition works will be carried out by Hydav Construction Company at a cost of J$6.2M and will be facilitated by the contract which was signed. The works are expected to be completed in six weeks, during which time the area will be fenced and secured to ensure the protection of the public. It is also intended that part of the two-storey building adjacent to the old cinema will be used to house a JUTC Information Centre, a SMART Card Centre along with conveniences for crews. Businesses that have been bought by the Government will not have to re-locate their interests until time for the erection of the Transport Centre. Funding of these works will be met by JUTC's internal resources.

• Under the terms of the contract, Hydav Construction will be required to provide all manpower, equipment and material to implement the works
• The company will be required to carry appropriate and sufficient employee and public liability insurance for the life of the project
• There will be retention of 10% of the cost of the project which is payable 30 days after the final certification of the project by the JUTC's Project Manager as being fully completed.
  

Apart from facilitating improved traffic management in the Half-Way-Tree area, the initial use of the Odeon lands as a bus park will result in significant savings to the JUTC.

The buses that travel between Portmore and Half-Way-Tree, and Spanish Town and Half-Way-Tree, will now proceed to this area after the morning peak traffic hours, instead of returning to the Portmore and Spanish Town depots respectively. Crew changes will also be facilitated by the use of this area as a Bus Park. The Bus Park will be able to accommodate up to 45 buses. It is estimated that the savings to be realised will be significant, that $6M being spent by the JUTC on the demolition project will be recovered within six months.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister Robert Pickersgill highlighted the fact that the Government has invested substantial sums of money in the construction of bus depots within the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMTR). 'We will initially create a Bus Park, but ultimately, this facility will be the forerunner to the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre', he said. He used the opportunity to state the reasoning behind the project. These he said, had to do with the fact that buses plying the routes in the KMTR that pass through Half-Way-Tree terminate in Mandela Park and York Plaza. The resulting high levels of people and bus traffic cause great inconvenience as the stops at the existing bus terminus result in delays for commuters and motorists alike.

The case for the Park is made even stronger when considers that Half-Way-Tree is the largest commuter gathering point in all of Jamaica. In fact the area could be seen as the undisputed land transport hub of Jamaica.

Of the 69 routes that exist in the KMTR, 34 pass through Half-Way-Tree. From Mondays to Fridays an average of 3,749 bus trips are made through the area every day. On Saturdays and Sundays, the figures are 2,868 and 2, 194 respectively. Similarly, from Mondays to Fridays, an average of 55,778 passengers move through Half-Way-Tree. On Saturdays and Sundays, the averages are 30,804 and 19,199 respectively.

The Odeon lands and Cinema have been acquired by the government at a cost of J$201M. It is intended that the clearing of this area and its transformation into a Bus Park, will facilitate better movement and therefore greater convenience for the commuters along with general traffic in Half-Way-Tree.