Montego Bypass Will Become a Reality – PM

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Montego Bay bypass will become a reality.

Mr. Holness, who was responding to concerns raised by Montego Bay Chamber President, T’Shura Gibbs, at the opening of the inaugural Build Expo and Conference 2017 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in St. James on June 9, said he has taken an active interest in the matter.

“Indeed, myself and Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, have been working very hard to ensure that we can start the work in short order,” he said.

“Minister Chang has just returned from China, where he has been trying to secure the financing to do the bypass,” he pointed out.

The Prime Minister said it is clear that Montego Bay, which is a major economic hub,  needs a bypass to address severe traffic congestion.

“We acknowledge and we agree that it is now a problem. We expect that building the bypass road will free up Montego Bay and make it far more easier for citizens to navigate the city, and also open up new corridors for residential and commercial buildings,”  he added.

The Government has committed to building the bypass at an estimated cost of US$200 million.

The Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and other lobby groups have been pushing for the bypass/ring road.

In an earlier submission, Immediate Past President of the Chamber, Gloria Henry,  said the bypass will provide an alternative route for access to Sangster International Airport and for the over three million tourists that come through the airport annually.

“It will divert the commercial traffic thus allowing more efficient movement in and around the city,” she noted.

The new route is expected to start at Ironshore, which is three to four kilometers from the Sangster International Airport, and will bypass the city centre and Sam Sharpe Square.