Morgan apologises for western traffic nightmare

WESTERN BUREAU:

Works Minister Robert Morgan has apologised to residents, business operators and visitors to the island for the severe traffic congestion along western Jamaica’s road network, acknowledging the hardship caused by ongoing road rehabilitation projects.

In an interview with The Gleaner following Tuesday’s meeting with tourism interests, business operators and other stakeholders in Montego Bay, St James, Morgan also promised improved traffic management to prevent a recurrence of the gridlock experienced in recent days, particularly along the Lucea to Negril corridor.

“We’ve made significant changes in terms of signage, in terms of working closer with the police to ensure that what happened a few days ago does not happen again,” he said.

The minister noted that while the work to improve western Jamaica’s road network is necessary, it must be executed without imposing excessive hardship on motorists, residents and businesses.

“Development is important. We’re spending over $4.1 billion from Ironshore all the way down to Negril ... in the next 12 months, and that does not include the works that are being done by the Ministry of Water,” Morgan said.

“We have to do it, but we have to do it with compassion. We have to do it with care, and the medicine cannot be worse than the poison,” he added.

Morgan said the meeting provided an opportunity for engineers, consultants, contractors and police personnel to hear directly from locals about the difficulties being experienced on the roads.

“It was very good to be here to hear what the stakeholders are saying ... and they, who are on the ground, would have shared with us some peculiarities about the area that we may not have known,” he said.

Morgan said China Harbour Engineering Company and the project’s engineers have been instructed to improve communication with affected communities and businesses, while noting that additional police resources would be deployed to assist with traffic management.

“We’re going to take a more collaborative approach to the work,” he told The Gleaner, adding that there will also be more signage and better alternative routes.

“We are going to be paving some routes in Hanover. We’re [also] going to also be doing some work from Mackfield to Montpellier, and just generally, [there will be] more collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association, the Jamaica Tourist Board, and so on,” Morgan said.

He noted that Lucea presented a significant challenge.

“The challenge, however, is that 15,000 vehicles traverse through Lucea every day. No side roads are big enough to [accommodate] that capacity,” he explained.

Responding to calls for more construction activities to be undertaken at night to minimise disruption, he explained that the additional operating expenses would place considerable pressure on the Government’s budget.

“The challenge with night work is that we don’t have a night work economy. In order for you to do night work, the asphalt plant has to open at night, the quarry has to open at night. You have to provide additional security,” he explained. “That’s a 50 per cent increase in your budget. The projects were not predicated on night work, so we have to manage the projects effectively to be within budget.”

albert.ferguson@gleanerjm.com