ROBERT PICKERSGILL, the Minister of Transport and Works, said while he is pleased with yesterday's court ruling on the Portmore Toll Road issue, he remains eager to work with the Portmore community.
At a press conference at his office at Maxfield Avenue, St. Andrew yesterday, Mr. Pickersgill noted that his ministry and the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), the agency appointed by Government to supervise the construction of the roadway, remain eager to work with the community to ensure that all their concerns are addressed.
"With the legal issue initially and hopefully finally settled, we look forward to resuming immediately our communications programme which will serve to engage the community of Portmore, dispel the myths about Highway 2000 and build the partnership necessary for its smooth operation," he said.
REVIEWING STUDY
Mr. Pickersgill also said that the Government is currently reviewing a study by Steer Davies Gleave, one of the world's foremost authorities in traffic, which looked at six corridors in Kingston and in particular, addressed several concerns put forward by the Portmore Municipality. The recommendations focus on improvements that could be made to ease the flow of traffic in areas such as Hagley Park Road, Marcus Garvey Drive, Spanish Town Road, Dunrobin Avenue and Washington Boulevard. The minister said a solution to the bottleneck on the Mandela Highway is also being sought.
Meanwhile, the section of the Portmore Causeway, between the bridge and Fort Augusta, will be transferred to NROCC. The section of the road between the bridge and Shannon Drive, which is owned by the Commissioner of Lands, will be transferred to the Port Authority of Jamaica.
The Fort Augusta Prison was sold to the Port Authority of Jamaica for $75 million.
In the meantime, Mr. Pickersgill noted that work on the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 remains on schedule for the planned 2006 opening.
