GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW TRANSPORTATION CENTRE

A banner showing an artist's impression of the Half Way Transport Centre.

Prime Minister P.J Patterson on Wednesday, March 30, 2005, broke ground for the construction of state-of-the-art transportation centre in Half Way Tree on the grounds of the former Odeon Cinema.

The Centre will be a central facility providing one terminus area for all buses traversing Half Way Tree. It will boast a terminal with bus platforms on two levels able to receive up to sixty-four buses simultaneously. A commercial area will be located on the two levels with the bus platform. The Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) will be responsible for the management and execution of the Project which will have 15,000m(sq) of space available for shops to generate income for the Centre.
Contractors for the Project are Transurb Technical and designers are Euro Immo Star. It will be funded by the Commerz Bank and the Government of Belgium.

Construction period for the Centre is expected to be 30 months with completion scheduled for the last quarter of 2007.

In terms of financing for the Centre, the government has secured a loan of 54.5 million Euros – ($US71.3M) from the Belgian government on very concessionary terms. The total loan amount being provided through the Commerz Bank of Belgium is approximately EUROS 54.5M. Approximately 80%, some EUROS 43.5M of that amount is being loaned on an interest free basis. The remainder, just under EUROS 11M is being loaned at the rate of 4.3% per annum. Repayment will start after the designated construction period and will be over a 10 year period at six month intervals.

Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Patterson noted that ‘this morning’s groundbreaking ceremony …is a new phase in the modernisation of the transportation facilities of our capital city.’ He pointed to the fact that ‘more than two hundred thousand commuters converge in Half Way Tree as they use the bus services.’
Continuing, he said ‘present conditions are less than satisfactory …the new Half Way Tree Transportation Centre will provide a central terminus for commuters.’
‘The commuting public who traverse the Half Way Tree area each day will benefit directly from this project…the improved travelling conditions and reduced stress will result in increased productivity at the work place,’ he noted.

Prime Minister P.J Patterson swings a pick axe as he broke ground for the Half Way Tree Transport Centre. Sharing in the moment are from left to right: Mr. Louis Michel, EU Commissioner, Mayor Desmond McKenzie, Minister Robert Pickersgill, Mr. Jacques Nyssen - Vice President of the Commerz Bank of Belgium, Minister K.D Knight and Minister Peter Phillips.

In recognising the delegation from Belgium on hand for the ceremony, Prime Minister Patterson observed that ‘ it is perhaps fitting that it is the Government of Belgium which is facilitating this project as they have been involved almost from the very outset to put a modern bus service in place in the KMTR.’

He highlighted the fact that the Volvo buses which are a part of the bus service were in part manufactured in Belgium and noted that Belgium is playing a central role in the financing of the undertaking.

In his wide ranging presentation, Prime Minister Patterson also looked at some of the various measures employed by the Ministry of Transport and Works to address some of the problems within the transport sector. He pointed to special buses which were imported to service the hilly St. Andrew routes; these buses were equipped to deal with access for the physically challenged. He also made mention of the cashless swipe card system introduced on the JUTC buses, the Executive Bus service as well as the capacity and scope of activities of the Transport Authority which were improved to deal with the attendant regulatory functions.

Various stakeholders from the Transportation industry, Government, the private sector as well as the general public were on hand at the ground-breaking ceremony. These included: Mr. Louis Michel, EU Commissioner, Mr. Herman Portocarero, Belgian Ambassador, Mrs. Claudia Demaerschalk from the Office of the Vice Prime Minister, Belgium, Mr. Gerd Jarchow, head of the EU delegation in Jamaica, Hon. K.D Knight, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. the Hon. Peter Phillips, Minister of National Security, Dr. Omar Davies, Minister of Finance, Hon. Dean Peart, Minister of Land and Environment; Hon. Danny Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing; Hon. Robert Pickersgill, Minister of Transport and Works, Mayor of Kingston, Mr. Desmond McKenzie as well as a host of others.

Work on the Centre is expected to commence in another three weeks.