Mark Titus, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Temporary work to ease the traffic snarls along the Bogue main road in Montego Bay began on Saturday. The roadway, a major entry point to the Second City, has been the source of traffic delays during peak hours.

According to stakeholders, the delays have resulted in the loss of thousands of man-hours to businesses; late student arrival for schools; millions of dollars in loss to tourist attraction operators as well as in cruiseship passenger sales; and flight delays at the Sangster International Airport.

In order to alleviate the situation along the corridor, the National Works Agency is creating an additional lane which will be used to facilitate a reversible two-lane flow.

According to the press release, the project, which is expected to be completed by month end, will see two lanes of traffic flowing eastward in the mornings, with the situation reversed in the evenings.

The planned dualisation of the Bogue road has been put to tender by the agency and is expected to come on stream next year.