Portland gets new transport centre

BOUNDBROOK, Portland:

A NEW transportation centre aimed at easing traffic congestion in the resort town of Port Antonio and also to provide adequate parking for public passenger vehicles plying the easterly and westerly routes in Portland is to be built.

Last week Thursday, a team from the Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ), the Portland Municipal Corporation, and Members of Parliament (MP) Daryl and Ann-Marie Vaz visited the proposed construction site area at Boundbrook in the parish, which is owned by the Jamaica Railway Corporation.

During the site visit, discussions were held regarding the scope of work, start date for the project, the agency that will be in charge of the day-to-day operation, and the added attraction of the businesses that will be housed at that facility.

Board Chairman of the FCJ Lyttleton Shirley pointed out that a 50-year lease is being sought for the railway land that has been sitting idly, which will pave the way for the integration of small manufacturing and the construction of a transport centre, a museum, a theatre, and a music (recording) studio.

“Those who can’t afford the nice uptown, very expensive studio will be able to afford this one to come and practise their art and show the talent of Portland,” said Shirley.

He added: “We are going to use the railway track as a museum attraction, a heritage attraction for tourists and our own local people to enjoy. The transport centre will be a one of a kind. It’s going to be the cutting edge to show the respect we have for our people and for those in the transport sector. It is going to be something that everyone in Portland will be proud of.”

The Portland Municipal Corporation will manage the transport centre, which will be the main centre for Port Antonio. As such, the existing transport centre at Foreshore Road will only be used for parking and will be managed also by the parish council.

East Portland MP Ann-Marie Vaz said that new estimates and layout would be done, noting that the actual construction would begin next year so as to ultimately ease the traffic congestion plaguing the town of Port Antonio, which has outgrown its space.

Gareth Davis