NWA boss says no plans to upgrade Braeton Parkway

National Works Agency (NWA) CEO E.G. Hunter has challenged Portmore Mayor Leon Thomas to provide evidence that the agency had ever given a commitment to upgrade the Braeton Parkway from two lanes to four.

Thomas had earlier told The Gleaner that the Portmore Municipal Corporation had been granting approvals for a slew of developments along the thoroughfare with the understanding that it would have to be widened to facilitate an anticipated increased traffic flow.

One of the major roadways in the municipality, the Braeton Parkway is seeing traffic jams even outside of peak hours on most days.

“You have a lot of traffic, but we approve buildings based on discussions that we have with the NWA that the road is going to be widened to four lanes because you have a lot of residents who cannot get in or out. Even on a Sunday, we have traffic problems on the Braeton Parkway,” Thomas told The Gleaner on Monday.

Now with an under-construction PriceSmart store set to open at the intersection of Braeton Parkway and Municipal Boulevard in April, things are poised to get even worse for motorists.

The store is located beside the St Catherine South Police Division headquarters, which is next to the recently opened offices of the Portmore Municipal Corporation. In addition, three call centres and a shopping plaza are set to open on Municipal Boulevard, close to these developments.

According to Thomas, all the applications for these developments were sent to the NWA for its nod before the municipal corporation gave them its stamp of approval.

“When the submissions are made to us, we, in turn, send the applications to NWA for their approval. They approve them and send them back to us, so we thought that these approvals were in line with the discussions that we had to improve the roadway.

“No, they wouldn’t write anything to give to us,” the mayor said when The Gleaner asked whether the municipal corporation had a written commitment on these matters. “But there was a verbal understanding, and also, they showed us the plans that they had for the area to improve that road to four lanes. We then approved and gave the developers the go-ahead and so they went ahead and did the construction.”

Thomas said that road-improvement works being carried out in the vicinity of the police station had nothing to do with the projected increase in traffic flow by PriceSmart customers since the NWA had reneged on its commitment.

“There is no widening of the Braeton Parkway being done by the NWA. They are widening the slip road to make it easier for motorists going to Municipal Boulevard, so they don’t have to be held up in traffic, and they are also going to widen another slip road on the other side to facilitate traffic coming from the direction of the Jamaica Urban Transit Company depot and heading towards the police station,” said Thomas.

According to Thomas, the NWA abandoned the planned upgrade for Braeton Parkway to carry out improvement works on Grange Lane, which is in another constituency.

The NWA, however, said it had no agreement for the widening of Braeton Parkway.

“Could you ask Mayor Thomas for evidence of such a position that we have gone back on? Just ask him to give some evidence of such a position ... and then I’ll look at it. I certainly didn’t make the commitment and I have been here for eight years,” said NWA CEO Hunter.

“Under my stewardship, no such commitment was given. ... Now, as to whether or not any such a commitment was given prior to my incumbency, that is to be proven,” he said.

christopher.serju@gleanerjm.com