PRIME MINISTER P.J. Patterson says he expects to receive a report next month from a high-level team he had assigned to examine the ongoing Portmore Toll Road dispute.
The team was set up last month in an attempt to seek an amicable resolution to the dispute which has led to demonstrations and threats from Portmore residents to sue the Government.
"I expect the report will be forthcoming sometime during the month of May," the Prime Minister said during his post-Budget Debate press briefing at Jamaica House yesterday.
The Portmore residents have been complaining that the Government intends to replace the existing Causeway Bridge with a toll road without providing a suitable alternative.
INCREASE IN DAILY USAGE
But yesterday, Mr. Patterson also revealed that the Spanish Town to Mandela Highway leg of Highway 2000 has seen an increase in average daily usage since it opened in December last year.
According to the Prime Minister, the Spanish Town link was constructed for a capacity of 5,000 vehicles per day, but is currently reflecting an average daily usage of 6,221, which is 25 per cent above forecast.
"This has triggered a clause in the Concession Agreement where, at its own cost, the developer has to expand both the entry and the booths in order to maintain the level of service," the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Patterson claimed that, since the opening of Highway 2000 in September 2003, more than 7.1 million paid trips have been recorded.
This, he said, was a clear indication that a significant majority of the motoring public on the corridor "recognises the advantages of a safe and efficient link between the various points served by the highway".
They also recognise, he added, "the substantial savings in time and costs which accrue to the users."
