By John Myers Jnr., Staff ReporterA SECTION of the Old Harbour bypass, which forms Segment One of Highway 2000, is to remain under construction after the official opening of the roadway which is scheduled for mid-August.
Jean Noel Foulard, project director of Bouygues Travaux Publics, the French builders of the highway, said that about 0.5 km of the highway, extending from the toll plaza to the eastern end of the highway, will be left unfinished after the official opening. He said construction work on that section should be completed by year-end.
Mr. Foulard explained that the completion date for that section has been extended to complete construction of a tunnel across the highway. The tunnel will connect the Bushy Park community with the rest of Old Harbour. The road, at that point, will be raised to match the height of the tunnel. During the period, only single-lane traffic will be accommodated at that point, as opposed to the dualisation of the rest of the highway.
While expressing confidence that the highway will be completed on time, Mr. Foulard noted that the task has not been easy as the company had faced numerous obstacles getting the work done.
In May, the French company reported that it was having difficulty obtaining adequate marl to be used on the road, due to certain operations by the owners of the quarry located at Hill Run, St. Catherine. As a result, the original June deadline was delayed. The shortage also affected foundation work on the Portmore leg of the highway.
"This has been one of the most difficult jobs I've done," the French engineer remarked. "In Jamaica, there is one problem after the other," he added. Nonetheless, he said, the highway should be ready in the next two weeks.
In the meantime, work on the remaining 12.5 km westwards beyond the toll plaza is in an advanced stage of completion. Already some road signs have been erected, street lights installed and landscaping and fencing almost complete. The entire roadway is to be outfitted with telephone booths which would allow motorists to make emergency calls.
