John Myers Jr., Staff Reporter 
PICKERSGILL
MINISTER OF Transport and Works, Robert Pickersgill, failed to reach a resolution with residents of the Portmore municipality on Wednesday after a marathon meeting held at the Portmore HEART Academy.
Residents became boisterous at the start of the meeting when Mr. Pickersgill, in an attempt to convince them that the construction of the new six-lane toll highway must proceed, began to list what he claimed were the huge benefits from the development.
"The citizens of Portmore are being ignored," one angry resident said. "This is going to cost this country
millions of dollars in lost productive hours."
Mr. Pickersgill tried to persuade his audience by outlining a number of benefits, including a US$500 million expansion plan for the Port of Kingston that will involve the construction of a new terminal at Fort Augusta which was recently acquired by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) as part of its five-year expansion plan for the port.
"If the (Causeway) bridge remains, those investments will take a longer time to come," Mr. Pickersgill said. He argued that the highway's construction would also cause a significant hike in property values.
"The number one problem in Portmore is how you get in and get out," he said. "Once you improve that with a six-lane highway (and) a six-lane bridge, investments are going to soar."
But the focus of the residents remained fixed on the issue of the replacement of the Portmore causeway with a toll highway.
"Build your highway and give us an alternative. Don't force us to use your highway," one resident shouted, to loud applause from the audience.
Minister Pickersgill responded to this antagonist, asking him whether his questions were spurred because, "it was that time of the month". He then apologised repeatedly for his statement but was booed by the crowd, with members demanding that he leave the meeting.
I'M SORRY
"You might not agree with me when I am
finished, but listen to what I am saying," the minister implored. "Whatever I have said, if it has offended anybody, I'm sorry."
In a release issued yesterday, the
minister said "Upon reflection, although I apologised to him (his antagonist) and to the meeting, I would like to apologise to the ladies at the meeting and to the women of Jamaica generally."
Minister Pickersgill said in the statement that his outburst "was a moment of uncharacteristic indiscretion that I deeply regret."
Mr. Pickersgill said he would be reporting on the meeting to the prime minister and another meeting will be convened in another two weeks to continue dialogue with the residents.
