Ground broken for US$81-million Port Antonio Bypass

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness on Thursday broke ground for construction of the US$81 million Port Antonio Bypass, which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion in the town and creating economic opportunities.

Holness, who was accompanied by West Portland Member of Parliament (MP) and government minister Daryl Vaz, Minister with responsibility for Roads, Robert Morgan, East Portland MP Ann-Marie Vaz, a representative from China Harbour Engineering Company, and a team from the National Works Agency, pointed out that the bypass will be constructed in two phases.

“So this project is not just about Portland, it is not just about infrastructure. This bypass is a strategic initiative with national importance," commented Holness.

“The current route through the town centre, while scenic, adds to the traffic congestion in the town. It is vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion, and it cannot accommodate the scale of development, we envision, for this area. The Port Antonio bypass will solve this. The new 18-kilometre corridor divided into two phases will divert through traffic from the fragile congested coastal town centre cutting travel time, reducing transport cost, and unlocking vast development potential inland.

“In so doing, it will unlock new commercial zones, stimulate land development, and create room for expansion, while maintaining Port Antonio as a quiet coastal retreat, but with a thriving economic hub. The idea is not to change the nature of Port Antonio. What is happening now is that the nature of Port Antonio is being changed because of the volume of congestion in the town. So what we want to do is to move the traffic that doesn’t need to be in the town, out of the town," he added.

According to Holness, the bypass is a targeted people-centred development that will expand opportunities for local farmers, craft vendors, store operators and small businesses.

He noted that the development will connect the coast to the countryside, the farms to resorts, and the world to Portland.

Phase one will see construction starting at Norwich to Turtle Crawl Harbour, which is about seven kilometres of a four-lane roadway with safety enhancing medium barriers, newly constructed bridges, upgraded drain infrastructure, and designated bus centre.

“We are reshaping the infrastructure landscape to meet the future. The government of Jamaica has committed approximately US$81 million for the construction of this project and another $521 million for land acquisition with over 200 parcels to be acquired in phase one alone. The National Land Agency has already begun the acquisition process in ensuring that every affected landowner is treated with fairness and dignity under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act.

“This is a massive undertaking by any measure. This project is not occurring in isolation. The Port Antonio Bypass is a continuation of the transformative Southern Coastal Highway improvement project, which spans from Harbour View in Kingston all the way to St Thomas and now into Portland. The idea is to create a high-value tourism product, which is quite distinct from the other tourism areas that exist in Jamaica," Holness said.

Phase two of the Port Antonio Bypass project will see road construction from Turtle Crawl Harbour into Boston Bay, which is approximately 11 kilometres of roadway.

- Gareth Davis

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