‘Historic’ MoBay Perimeter Road Project 40% complete
Published:Monday | September 2, 2024 | 12:13 AMRochelle Clayton/Staff Reporter
WESTERN BUREAU:
With approximately 40 per cent of work completed, Leroy Lowe, China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) Limited’s liaison officer for the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project, says the project is shaping up to be a “historic” one for St James.
Lowe was speaking to The Gleaner during a recent tour of the newly constructed bridge that connects Sign Irwin to Tucker Irwin. According to Lowe, the bridge is approximately 30 metres high and 200 metres long. The overpass connects both communities by running across the Barnett River.
“This bridge here on the perimeter road connects you from Sign Irwin to Tucker Irwin. So if you’re coming from Ironshore, you can drive that side and end up over on the Tucker side and head right back to Bogue. It’s about 30 metres high and nearly 200 metres long. It will be a historical bridge for Jamaica and St James,” Lowe said.
“So far, we have actually done about 20 per cent of the work already,” he added.
The Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project comprises the Montego Bay Perimeter Road, the Barnett Street/West Green Avenue Road Rehabilitation, the Long Hill Bypass, and a comprehensive drainage study of the Montego Bay Bypass at a contracted cost of US$274.5 million.
According to Lowe, motorists are set to enjoy the luxury of travelling through Montego Bay without the hustle and bustle of the township. He explained that there will be additional bridges to take motorists outside of the parish with ease.
Lowe noted that work has already commenced along Fairfield Road and a section of Barnett Street where the Westgate bridge is located. Over on Fairfield Road, a new two-lane road has been opened, and the original section has been closed off.
‘It will be a beauty’
The liaison officer further told The Gleaner that this was done to facilitate building of another overpass, however, motorists are in for a treat as the Fairfield Road is set to become a dual carriageway once completed. This will also greatly benefit residents living in Maroon Town, Meadows of Irwin, Montego West Village, and surrounding communities.
“There will be another overpass there, and likewise, out on Bogue Road, the highway will be under, and road coming from in town will be over. We are also widening the bridge up at the top of Westgate now, so it will be four lanes going back up to Clock,” Lowe stated.
“It will be a beauty, on a whole, for St James. Everybody who lives in MoBay is yearning to see the [completion] of this road, especially on a weekend or a school day,” he added.
Furthermore, Lowe told The Gleaner that residents in other sections of the parish will also enjoy having a wider thoroughfare.
“We are going to widen Queens Drive as well. We are going to upgrade that road as soon as we get the go-ahead ,and it’s a different project from the bypass road,” Lowe said.
Additionally, he said CHEC is seeking to do some work in the neighbouring parish of Hanover.
“I guess we will be doing some bypasses, too, at Hopewell and Lucea. Those are in the pipeline,” Lowe revealed.
Construction for the Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project began in 2022, and while there have been delays, Lowe shared that they are “pushing through”. He noted that one of the factors leading to the project’s delay is the relocation of people living in the path.
“Some people are eager to move, and some don’t want to move. For some people, when they get the offer, it’s not what they want. But indeed, they know they have to move.
“Nobody was forcefully moved. That is why we are so far back because we have to wait on them. We have to give them the time they need to remove whatever they want from the building,” Lowe told The Gleaner.