Drax Hall development to enhance tourism value in St Ann

From the US$2-billion agreement signed a month ago with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Prime Minister Andrew Holness says some of the cash will be going towards a new highway and a boulevard for the fast-growing Drax Hall economic district in St Ann.

The agreement was signed five weeks ago during the visit of IFC Director Makhtar Diop.

It is to fund 10 major infrastructure initiatives, including the highway, a broadband project aimed at making Jamaica more digital, and healthcare projects.

With the establishment of new multimillion-dollar businesses along the thoroughfare, some of which were constructed within months – such as KFC, Pizza Hut, Knutsford Express, and now Courts’ 30th furniture and appliance store last Thursday - the infrastructural development along the thoroughfare of Drax Hall is going much faster than anticipated, and Holness said it was only right for a new road structure to be developed for the economic district.

The prime minister was giving the keynote address during the opening of the new Courts store at which he acknowledged that traffic congestion was a concern in newly developed areas.

“So the road is a problem. The typical challenge of Jamaica is that the natural energy for development oftentimes outstrips and goes in advance of the Government’s strategic and instrumental development. This is an example of the natural economic energy unleashed sometimes way in advance of the Government’s planning,” Holness said.

“What really should have happened is that the Government should have built the road and then say to the investors, ‘Here are the lots divided out and services’. That is what really should have happened. For here, we’re going to have to do some catch-up,” he said.

Redistribution of commercial activity

Holness said the nation can expect a redistribution of commercial activities in Drax Hall, with business moving from surrounding towns and into the space, given the easy access to the Drax Hall main road.

Holness said there would also be a redistribution of commercial activities, with people moving out of Ocho Rios and St Ann’s Bay and seeking to relocate to Drax Hall, where commerce, a new industry, business, and light manufacturing can be easily accessed.

He said the development of Drax Hall, St Ann, will allow Ocho Rios to become more of a tourist hub where the old charm of the town can be properly developed, enhanced, and harnessed for its economic value. In addition, he noted, St Ann’s Bay can become properly developed for its historical value, which would add even more to Jamaica’s tourism value.

“So you not only get sun, sea, and sand, but you also get culture, history, and the people,” the prime minister said.

“There are two major projects in place now. The first is the improvement of the North Coast Highway, which is this road here, which will be expanded into a four-lane road with underpasses and side roads,” Holness said to a round of applause from those gathered for the opening.

“Right now, what you have is something called a stroad. It’s a street and a road. They have two different functions. The road is like a massive carriage way, and a street is connecting within an urban defined space, and because it’s doing two functions, it’s carrying people from one area to another, this road, so people from Montego Bay heading to Kingston have to use this, but people who live in this area, who would normally use streets and walk and ride, they also have to use that road, so the road can’t function. It doesn’t function properly.”

Holness said what is ultimately needed, though, for the solution, is a boulevard that goes through, with side streets for local traffic and managed in terms of speed with stop lights.

“That is being planned, and then we have also opened up negotiations to extend,” he said.

Holness also pointed out that a similar situation is now taking place in St Thomas, where new roads are being built in addition to the urban centre now under construction, which will result in a new township, which may be the first ever.

“I don’t think we have ever built out a township outright,” he said.

He said in the same way that the Montego Bay bypass is now being developed and well-advanced, Drax Hall in St Ann will also have the proper infrastructure, but more than that, a development plan will be put in place as well.

“We have also opened up negotiations to extend the North-South leg of the highway to take you right into Trelawny, so both programmes are fairly advanced in development, one more than the other, and you will hear more about that in our Budget presentation that will come next year as to how far we’ve reached in that plan to actually execute,” he said.

In addition to this, increasing the number of hotel rooms along the corridor, Holness said he had great confidence that what they are doing would put Jamaica in a better place.

“Jamaica has made incredible strides over the last eight years. Our economic growth and stability are no accident. These achievements were made possible by sound policies that encourage business growth, foster infrastructure development, and expand economic activities across the island, including rural areas,” he said.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com