By John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter
Workmen contracted to Bouygues Travaux Publics, the developers of Highway 2000, construct a bridge in May 2004 on the Portmore segment of the highway which will connect Kingston with St. Catherine and Clarendon when completed. - Rudolph Brown/Staff Photographer
THE CONSTRUCTION of Highway 2000, Jamaica's most elaborate road network, has led to the employment of just over 1,000 skilled labourers.
Trevor Jackson, managing director of TransJamaican Highway Limited (THL), a subsidiary of the developer, Bouygues Travaux Publics, said the locals, complemented by 60 expatriates, have been recruited to work on the project as the developers move swiftly to complete construction on time.
Several local companies have also gained additional business from the project by providing support to the Bouygues team.
Arnold Aitken of Tank-Weld Civil Engineers and Building Contractors, one of the island's largest engineering firms, said the company had gained business from providing the developers with equipment to assist with the construction of the highway.
"The company has benefited in that our Tank-Weld equipment section has been involved in driving piles at the various bridge constructions," he said.
Don Mullings, president of the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica (IMAJ), said several of its members have benefited from gaining sub-contracts on the project.
But as construction moves full pace on the Portmore segment of the so-called millennium project, which is scheduled for completion in January 2006, the developers have indicated that motorists could be asked to pay three times as much for toll to traverse the high-speed motorway from Kingston to Sandy Bay, Clarendon.
Dr. Wayne Reid, chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), the entity established to supervise the construction of the highway on behalf of the Government, told The Gleaner that the effective rate would, however, be dependent on what the developer seeks from the Government.
COULD INCREASE
"It could increase proportionately. It is all dependent on what the developer wants to apply for because he can't apply for more than the maximum, but he can apply for everything including zero," Dr. Reid said.
In confirming the possibility of a tripling of the toll charges, Mr. Jackson said the Kingston to Sandy Bay segment, when completed, would be more than three times the distance currently travelled on the Old Harbour bypass. As such, the highway operator could apply for the maximum rate which would be three times the current rate charged. He said other factors such as devaluation of the Jamaican dollar and inflation would also be taken into consideration. Currently, motorists are charged between $50 and $120, depending on the size of the vehicle, to commute the Old Harbour bypass.
