Hoteliers disappointed by absence of timelines for MoBay perimeter road

WESTERN BUREAU:

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) has expressed its disappointment that there are no clearly outlined development phases and timelines for the Montego Bay Perimeter Road project currently under construction.

Speaking with The Gleaner following Tuesday’s update from the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), Nadine Spence, chairperson for the Montego Bay Chapter of the JHTA, said:

“We feel that the presentation was wholesome and we are happy that this kind of expansion is being undertaken. However, we are concerned about the timelines and would appreciate further clarity on a phase-by-phase basis.” The Montego Bay Perimeter Road, commonly called the ‘Montego Bay Bypass’, is being designed and built by NROCC through its contractor China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), for US$274 million.

NROCC says the Montego Bay Perimeter Road project also includes the Long Hill bypass, Barnett Street/West Green Avenue road rehabilitation, and a comprehensive draining on the Montego Bay Bypass area.

Work started in 2022 with a completion timeline of May 2026. Tourism stakeholders say they were told that 30 per cent of the entire project is completed, with projections slightly ahead.

However, that has not sat well with tourism players, as they say there are no targeted timelines and phases to indicate which scope of work (is being done), on which section it will be carried out, and when it will come to an end.

“We still need to know how to communicate with our external partners who sell Jamaica on our behalf,” argued Spence.

Development phases are essential in construction, especially if a project is intended to reduce traffic congestion and increase production.

“Hassle-free travel is fundamental to the now-informed traveller,” the JHTA president said upon hearing that there are no established timelines outside of its projected completion date of May 2026. “We were left hoping that a second meeting would dispel these thoughts and facilitate a clearer timeline for the project.”

But Stephen Edwards, NROCC’s managing director, told the city’s hospitality providers that the multimillion US dollar project is not a linear project, and is now broken down into phases, given its magnitude – as has been the case for other capital projects.

“It’s not broken out in phases per se, but just in terms of the subprojects; the Montego Bay Perimeter Road, Long Hill bypass, the Barnett Street/West Green Avenue road rehabilitation and expansion works. And the comprehensive drainage study,” Edward said.

“It’s not a linear project, as you can tell. It’s a whole lot going on that we have to manage. So we don’t necessarily have it in consecutive phases,” he told tourism players in Montego Bay.

Responding to whether there will be a phased opening of the completed section of the highway project, Edwards said:

“We are looking to see if we can open it up section by section, but I wouldn’t give you a date right now. At the appropriate time, we’ll let you know.

The 63 year-old JHTA represents Jamaican hotels, other visitor accommodations, as well as most suppliers of goods and services to the tourism industry. The main aim of the JHTA is to promote the development of Jamaica’s hospitality industry and to represent the interests of its members in all fora, locally, regionally and internationally.