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New traffic arrangements will come into effect along the Portmore leg of Highway 2000 in St Catherine this Friday, as the authorities seek to ease congestion during the morning and evening peak hours.

Operations and maintenance manager at Jamaica Infrastructure Operator Limited, Desmond Levy, said it was proposed to open the three Kingston-bound lanes on weekday mornings between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. and, correspondingly, one lane for Portmore-bound traffic.

Levy was speaking at a meeting of stakeholders at the Toll Authority's Portmore office on Saturday.

He expressed the hope that, with the new school year scheduled to begin in two weeks, the arrangements would address the attendant chronic traffic challenges.

Levy said the police have undertaken to give more assistance with the changes.

No cost to country

The arrangements will coincide with the completion of Phase One work being undertaken along the corridor by French developers Bouygues Travaux Publics to correct a depression in the vicinity of the Port of Kingston. The job is scheduled to be completed on August 31, with Phase Two slated to begin on Friday and end in December.

Desmond Martin, technical manager at the National Road Operating and Constructing Company, said the work was being undertaken by the firm at no cost to the country.

Work is currently being carried out on the eastbound section of the carriageway, which has resulted in the westbound segment being converted into a two-way corridor. The order will reverse on the commencement of Phase Two.

Martin said the new arrangement being proposed "is really to have three lanes going into Kingston in the morning peak period".

He added: "This, we think, will make a significant improvement to the congestion that is caused in the morning and, with that, we will have one lane going into Portmore during that time. After the morning peak, then the arrangement will revert to the original arrangement, where you will have two lanes going in both directions," Martin said.