ROBERT PICKERSGILL, the Minister of Transport and Works, said no decision has been taken on the likely toll charge to traverse the new six-lane toll road across the Portmore Causeway.
Mr. Pickersgill, at the end of a meeting yesterday with representatives of the National Road Operating and Construction Company (NROCC), the National Works Agency (NWA), the Development Ministry, TransJamaican Highway Ltd. and political representatives of the area, said the controversy surrounding the toll charge for Portmore was a based on misinformation.
"Recall that there is a toll regulator... there is a process. I think how that figure ($65) came into the public domain was from a question emanating in a meeting and some figures came up," Mr. Pickersgill explained.
DUTY OF TOLL REGULATOR
He emphasised: "That has no sanction. It has to go to the toll regulator who has to consider, who has to make a recommendation to the Minister."
Dunbar McFarlane, the former managing director of the National Commercial Bank (NCB), was appointed the toll regulator by the Transport Minister. Under the Toll Roads Act established in 2002, the toll regulator is the entity, or in this case, the person, prescribed to grant concessionaires or operators of toll roads the permission to levy tolls.
Yesterday's meeting was convened by Minister Pickersgill on the directive of Prime Minister P.J. Patterson following strong objections and threats to take legal action by residents of Portmore to the payment of a $65 toll charge to use the new six-lane toll road that should replace the existing causeway bridge. The project, part of the Highway 2000 project, is expected to be completed by January 2006.
