Lead Stories

The Toll Authority has determined that the introduction of three lanes leaving Portmore in the morning, on that leg of Highway 2000, has been effective in alleviating some of the traffic congestion faced by residents.

The new measure was introduced on Wednesday but announced earlier last month.

On Tuesday, The Gleaner reported that anxiety had been setting in for Portmore residents wary of stagnant traffic as students prepared to return to classes for the new school year.

But yesterday, in a statement to the newspaper, Joan Fletcher, chief executive officer of the Toll Authority, said the body's assessment of the first and second day of implementation was that the new measure worked extremely well.

"We anticipate that it will continue to work well after school re-opens," she added.

Fletcher noted that Phase One of the repairs to the Portmore toll road began in May and, during this phase, traffic was reduced from three lanes to two lanes to and from Kingston. The project included a discount scheme, the aim of which was to change the motoring travel pattern by spreading the rush-hour morning traffic to the earlier and later times of the morning.

"Though this worked fairly well, motorists experienced some amount of inconveniences and delays during the peak hours," Fletcher admitted.

She also noted that unlike suggested in the Gleaner article on Tuesday, the works are on schedule to be completed in December and not next year.