MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND WORKS WINS COURT CASE ON PORTMORE TOLL ROAD

From left to right, Dr. Fenton Ferguson, Minister of State, MTW, Mr. Michael Hylton, Solicitor General, Mr. Paul Robertson, MP, South East St. Catherine and Mr. Fitz Jackson, MP, South St. Catherine.

On Tuesday, July 26, 2005 the Supreme Court upheld the ruling designating the Portmore Causeway as a toll road as well as the designation of Mandela Highway as an alternative route. The case which was taken to court by two Portmore citizens groups (the Portmore Citizens’ Advisory Council and the Portmore Joint Citizens’ Association) sought to have the Portmore Causeway remain and for a suitable alternative to the causeway to be designated ‘in the area’.

This was disclosed by Minister Robert Pickersgill at a press conference held at the Ministry of Transport and Works’ Corporate Office at 138 H Maxfield Avenue. Speaking at the press conference Minister Pickersgill highlighted the fact that there was consensus on certain points from a resolution signed in March; these are:

• That the citizens of Portmore have a suitable alternative road

• That the toll would be reasonable and affordable

• That Marcus Garvey; the roundabout out of Portmore; and the Mandela Highway will be upgraded to facilitate the smooth flow of traffic.

Minister Pickersgill added that the Ministry and NROCC remained eager to work with the community in order that all their concerns on Highway 2000 were sufficiently addressed.

He also identified six corridors in Kingston where improvement work will be carried out in order to improve to flow of traffic. He said, “The important measures span the short, medium and long term. Some of these recommendations are fairly simple, others more complex but they work together to significantly improve traffic flow.”

The short-term measures include:

• Refurbishing of lanes and pedestrian crossing markings

• Improvement to existing sidewalks and ramps

• Common cycle time and the optimisation of signal timings

 The other significant recommendations for these six corridors includes:

For Hagley Park Road

The provision of right turning bays at the unsignalled intersections as well as improvements to the road surface.

A right turn ban from Spanish Town Road

For Marcus Garvey Drive

The addition of a third lane along the corridor

A grade separation intersection at the Causeway

An additional lane for the approach to East Avenue

An additional lane for access to Industrial Terrace

For Spanish Town Road

The realignment of the approach to Weymouth Drive

The widening of the bridge over Sandy Gully River to accommodate three lanes in each direction

For Washington Boulevard

An additional lane eastbound from upstream the Six Miles intersection to Duhaney Drive

The redesign of the northern approach to accommodate two lanes at the stop line.

For Dunrobin Avenue

The movement of stop line for the southern approach of Constant Spring Road to the north.

On Constant Spring Road north of the intersection, formalisation of the merge of two lanes into one.

The provision of a dedicated left turn lane from Dunrobin Avenue to Constant Spring Road.

The expansion of the intersection.

The Minister highlighted the benefits of Highway 2000 to the citizens of Portmore and Jamaica, saying that it would make life easier for the more than 170,000 residents of Portmore to commute and positively impact how these citizens conducted their lives.

He later added that Highway 2000 represents the single largest investment in Jamaica’s history and that it would offer tremendous opportunities that would stimulate growth by opening up markets and lowering operating costs, thus leading to improved efficiency and profitability.